vicious — deliberately cruel or violent
Part of speech: ADJECTIVE
Definition: deliberately cruel or violent
Pronunciation (IPA): /ˈvɪʃəs/
Example Sentences
- My neighbor's cat is so vicious, it attacked my pizza delivery guy twice!
- The vicious storm destroyed half the town's WiFi towers.
- She broke the vicious cycle of eating ice cream while watching sad movies.
vicious
ADJECTIVE[/ˈvɪʃəs/]
deliberately cruel or violent

The vicious wolf lunged at the shepherd with bared fangs.

Vi says 'shush' while being vicious — cruelly violent!

A vicious chef makes delicious treats look suspicious
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
From Latin 'vitiosus' meaning 'faulty' or 'defective', derived from 'vitium' meaning 'fault' or 'vice'. The word evolved through Old French 'vicious' to enter Middle English with the sense of moral depravity and violent behavior.
Breakdown
viti- (fault, vice from Latin vitium) + -ous (adjective suffix meaning 'full of' or 'characterized by') = vicious (full of vice or faults; deliberately cruel)
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“My neighbor's cat is so vicious, it attacked my pizza delivery guy twice!”
“The vicious storm destroyed half the town's WiFi towers.”
“She broke the vicious cycle of eating ice cream while watching sad movies.”
“The celebrity faced vicious online harassment after the scandal.”
📚Related Words
Synonyms
Antonyms
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