1
as in intense
extreme in degree, power, or effect
a vicious winter storm ripped through the region
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in brutal
having or showing the desire to inflict severe pain and suffering on others
she made a vicious effort to destroy the lives of the people who had wronged her
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in unlawful
not conforming to a high moral standard; morally unacceptable
a truly vicious person detested by almost everyone
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4
as in savage
violently unfriendly or aggressive in disposition
a vicious dog that has already bitten several people
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5
as in malicious
having or showing a desire to cause someone pain or suffering for the sheer enjoyment of it
he spread vicious rumors about his ex-wife after their bitter divorce
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of vicious
And when the bell rang for the February 2025 bout, Davis kept that promise, delivering a vicious beating of Berinchyk, channeling the insult into a devastating performance.
—
Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 5 May 2025
Sandhagen dispatched Edgar with a vicious flying knee 28 seconds into that bout.
—Trent Reinsmith, Forbes.com, 28 Apr. 2025
In its most memorable moment, Walker dispatches a particularly vicious henchwoman with a harpoon to the neck.
—Mike Miller, EW.com, 26 Apr. 2025
With two hits, one hit-by-pitch and zero outs recorded, Williams then left the mound to a vicious chorus of boos as Aaron Boone summoned Mark Leiter Jr. — not Weaver — from the bullpen.
—Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 26 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for vicious
Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 5 May 2025
Sandhagen dispatched Edgar with a vicious flying knee 28 seconds into that bout.
—Trent Reinsmith, Forbes.com, 28 Apr. 2025
In its most memorable moment, Walker dispatches a particularly vicious henchwoman with a harpoon to the neck.
—Mike Miller, EW.com, 26 Apr. 2025
With two hits, one hit-by-pitch and zero outs recorded, Williams then left the mound to a vicious chorus of boos as Aaron Boone summoned Mark Leiter Jr. — not Weaver — from the bullpen.
—Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 26 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for vicious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vicious
Adjective
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But Trump couldn't get the change included in his 2017 economic legislation, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, amid an intense lobbying campaign from the industry and some GOP lawmakers to protect the break.—
Riley Beggin,
USA Today,
19 May 2025
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Biden's physical and mental fitness has been the subject of intense scrutiny during and since his time in office, with questions about the former president's age and well-being ultimately forcing him to abandon his 2024 reelection bid.—
Rachel Treisman,
NPR,
19 May 2025
Adjective
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When local Officer and single mother Dana Cypress is unexpectedly thrown into the center of a brutal murder mystery of her own, she’s left to make sense of the chaos amidst a town gripped by fear and confusion where everyone, alive or undead, is a suspect.—
Jordan Moreau,
Variety,
12 May 2025
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Bruno Silva via first-round KO This finish was absolutely brutal.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes.com,
11 May 2025
Adjective
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Two waste companies denied unlawful dumping, with one saying state law allows compostable material to be disposed on farmland and other properties for beneficial use.—
Susanne Rust,
Los Angeles Times,
11 May 2025
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The vehicle eventually leaves the area after the Worcester Police Department arrived and declared an unlawful assembly, threatening arrest.—
Greg Norman,
FOXNews.com,
10 May 2025
Adjective
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As savage Arctic cold was getting ready to surge south across North America, vivid imagery based on data from weather models showed us what was going to happen.—
Tom Yulsman,
Discover Magazine,
27 Dec. 2022
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The 2023 grand marshal is former Arizona Democratic congresswoman Gabby Giffords, gravely wounded in a savage mass shooting in 2011 that also killed six people.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Dec. 2022
Adjective
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The ransomware attacks in question started with malicious Google Ads deployed by the threat actors.—
Davey Winder,
Forbes.com,
11 May 2025
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Tyler Chase Butler, 27, was arrested at the scene and was charged on May 6 with second-degree murder, malicious wounding and two counts of use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.—
David Matthews,
New York Daily News,
8 May 2025
Adjective
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With 4 million packages a day passing through American gateways using the de minimis exception, and around half of those shipments hailing from China, CBP is now contending with a much more intensive entry process for small shipments than it’s been accustomed to.—
Kate Nishimura,
Sourcing Journal,
13 May 2025
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The department conducts an annual review of each state, and a more intensive one that’s supposed to be completed roughly every five years.—
Becca Savransky,
Idaho Statesman,
13 May 2025
Adjective
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Scheifele’s emotional and inspirational decision to play mere hours after his father’s unexpected death — to play for his dad, to play because of his dad — ended in cruel fashion, with Scheifele helpless in the penalty box.—
Mark Lazerus,
New York Times,
18 May 2025
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At first the program seems to be benign, but Hayakawa’s film steadily reveals how the policy thrives on the cruel capitalist tenet that people are disposable.—
Lovia Gyarkye,
HollywoodReporter,
17 May 2025
Adjective
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Will the company itself go rogue and opt to use AGI for evil deeds?—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2025
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Save us from violence, discord, and confusion; from pride and arrogance, and from every evil way.—
Jeannie Suk Gersen,
New Yorker,
15 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Vicious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vicious. Accessed 22 May. 2025.
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