1
as in intense
extreme in degree, power, or effect
a vicious winter storm ripped through the region
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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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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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of vicious
This vicious pattern has robbed me of any sense of self-esteem or confidence I've been trained to pretend to have.
—
Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Mar. 2025
Richards’ wife and three of the children were seriously injured in the vicious attack.
—Liam Quinn, People.com, 28 Mar. 2025
Hence why obesity and depression can become a vicious cycle.
—Erica Sloan, SELF, 26 Mar. 2025
Neither of the women were left seriously injured, despite the vicious attack.
—Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 25 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for vicious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vicious
Adjective
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Ricky Steamboat From Clash Of The Champions 6 The intense rivalry between Ricky Steamboat and Flair produced some of the most celebrated matches in professional wrestling history.—
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The process has ignited intense public pushback from Luna to not only leadership, but her one-time allies in the Freedom Caucus.—
Adjective
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Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway fared better than the S & P 500 in a brutal week as investors embraced the safety of a cash-rich conglomerate while President Donald Trump’s aggressive tariffs wreaked havoc on Wall Street.—
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With six games remaining in the regular season — and five of them coming in a brutal seven-day span — the Knicks are suddenly getting healthy at a time when workload management becomes a daily dilemma.—
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Federal workers, migrants and transgender troops are among the groups arguing that Trump’s policies are unlawful and will cause irreversible harm if not blocked.—
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In January, a federal appeals court declared DACA unlawful, but kept the policy in place.—
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.—
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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.—
Adjective
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Jose Velasquez-Martinez, 27, is charged with malicious wounding and murder in connection with 29-year-old Brandon Probst's death in Warrenton, according to the Fauquier County Sheriff's Office.—
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There is evidence of motivated malicious actors abusing the 'verified account' to deceive users.—
Adjective
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This alarming probability briefly landed the asteroid atop impact risk lists maintained by NASA and the European Space Agency, triggering planetary defense discussions and prompting intensive follow-up observations to refine the object's trajectory.—
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Number Purchased by Readers: 123 Crest 3D Whitestrips Teeth Whitening Kit What to Know: The Crest 3D whitening kit has 44 strips and two more intensive one-hour treatments.—
Adjective
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What's particularly cruel about that reality is that after years of dealing with questions about his weight, the former Duke Blue Devil star played a career-high 70 games in 2023-24.—
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Here, Munir may be vaccinating chickens rather than grabbing them on their way to slaughter, but the work is just as thankless and cruel.—
Adjective
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Lillard’s career catapulted following his turn in the flick as Stu Macher, one-half of the evil duo (including Ulrich’s Billy Loomis) behind the savage killings at Woodsboro High.—
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No country will afford to regimes which practice racial discrimination assistance which in its own judgment directly contributes to the pursuit or consolidation of this evil policy.—
Cite this Entry
“Vicious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vicious. Accessed 13 Apr. 2025.
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