What does "vicious" mean?

1. (violent and cruel) very violent and cruel, often with the intent to hurt someone badly. 2. (aggressive animals) describing an animal that is dangerous and likely to bite or attack. 3. (severe or intense) very strong, severe, or unpleasant. 4. (immoral) having a bad character or doing things that are morally wrong.

vicious

adj.

US //ˈvɪʃəs// UK //vˈɪʃəs// vi·cious

1 violent and cruel (adj.)
B2 Upper Intermediate

very violent and cruel, often with the intent to hurt someone badly.

characterized by a desire to inflict pain or suffering; deliberately cruel or violent.

Example

The newspaper reported a vicious attack on a young man in the park.

Example

The dictator was known for his vicious treatment of political rivals, often using the secret police to silence any form of dissent.
- gentle
- kind
2 aggressive animals (adj.)
B2 Upper Intermediate

describing an animal that is dangerous and likely to bite or attack.

dangerously aggressive or savage, typically used of animals prone to unprovoked attacks.

Example

Keep your distance because that dog can be quite vicious with strangers.

Example

The hikers were warned that the mother bear could become vicious if she felt her cubs were being threatened by their presence.
- tame
- docile

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3 severe or intense (adj.)
B2 Upper Intermediate

very strong, severe, or unpleasant.

possessing a high degree of intensity or severity, often in a way that causes physical or mental distress.

Example

She had a vicious headache that lasted for the entire afternoon.

Example

The sailors struggled to keep the ship upright as a vicious storm battered the hull with relentless waves.
- mild
4 immoral (adj.)
C2 Proficiency Archaic Literary

having a bad character or doing things that are morally wrong.

characterized by vice, immorality, or depravity.

Example

The old stories warn against leading a vicious life full of greed.

Example

In the Victorian novel, the antagonist is depicted as a vicious character whose soul has been corrupted by a lifetime of indulgence and crime.
- virtuous
- moral

Origin

PIE word *dwóh₁ From Middle English vicious, from Anglo-Norman vicious, (modern French vicieux), from Latin vitiōsus, from vitium (“fault, vice”). Equivalent to vice + -ous.