VICIOUS


Meaning of VICIOUS in English

transcription, транскрипция: [ ˈvi-shəs ]

adjective

Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French vicios, from Latin vitiosus full of faults, corrupt, from vitium vice

Date: 14th century

1. : having the nature or quality of vice or immorality : depraved

2. : defective , faulty ; also : invalid

3. : impure , noxious

4.

a. : dangerously aggressive : savage

a vicious dog

b. : marked by violence or ferocity : fierce

a vicious fight

5. : malicious , spiteful

vicious gossip

6. : worsened by internal causes that reciprocally augment each other

a vicious wage-price spiral

• vi·cious·ly adverb

• vi·cious·ness noun

Synonyms:

vicious , villainous , iniquitous , nefarious , corrupt , degenerate mean highly reprehensible or offensive in character, nature, or conduct. vicious may directly oppose virtuous in implying moral depravity, or may connote malignancy, cruelty, or destructive violence

a vicious gangster

villainous applies to any evil, depraved, or vile conduct or characteristic

a villainous assault

iniquitous implies absence of all signs of justice or fairness

an iniquitous system of taxation

nefarious suggests flagrant breaching of time-honored laws and traditions of conduct

the nefarious rackets of organized crime

corrupt stresses a loss of moral integrity or probity causing betrayal of principle or sworn obligations

city hall was rife with corrupt politicians

degenerate suggests having sunk to an especially vicious or enervated condition

a degenerate regime propped up by foreign powers

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate English vocabulary.      Энциклопедический словарь английского языка Merriam Webster.