vicious

See also: Vicious

English

Alternative forms

• vitious (obsolete)

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈvɪʃəs/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪʃəs

Adjective

vicious (comparative viciouser or more vicious, superlative viciousest or most vicious)

1. Violent, destructive and cruel.
2. Savage and aggressive.
   • 1922, Michael Arlen, “2/9/1”, in “Piracy”: A Romantic Chronicle of These Days:

     He had always been remarkably immune from such little ailments, and had only once in his life been ill, of a vicious pneumonia long ago at school. He hadn't the faintest idea what to with a cold in the head, he just took quinine and continued to blow his nose.

3. (archaic) Pertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity.
   • 1603, Michel de Montaigne, John Florio, transl., The Essayes, […], printed at London: By Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], OCLC 946730821:

     , Folio Society, 2006, vol.1, p.195:

     We may so seize on vertue, that if we embrace it with an over-greedy and violent desire, it may become vicious.

Synonyms

• scathy

Derived terms

• vicious circle

Related terms

• See vice#Related_terms

Translations

violent, destructive

• Finnish: raju (fi), tuhoisa (fi), väkivaltainen (fi)

• Georgian: დამანგრეველი (damangreveli), აგრესიული (agresiuli)
• German: gewalttätig (de), destruktiv (de)
• Italian: violento (it)

savage, aggressive

• Finnish: raaka (fi), julma (fi), ärhäkkä, aggressiivinen (fi)
• Georgian: აგრესიული (agresiuli), ველური (veluri)
• German: grausam (de), aggressiv (de)

• Italian: aggressivo (it)
• Polish: narowisty

pertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity

• Armenian: արատավոր (hy) (aratavor)
• Cebuano: mapintas nga
• Czech: neřestný
• Esperanto: malvirta
• Finnish: paheellinen (fi)
• French: vicieux (fr) m, vicieuse (fr) f
• Georgian: მანკიერი (manḳieri), ბიწიერი (bic̣ieri), უზნეო (uzneo)
• German: böse (de), boshaft (de), übel (de), unmoralisch (de)
• Gothic: 𐌿𐌽𐌼𐌰𐌽𐌰𐍂𐌹𐌲𐌲𐍅𐍃 (unmanariggws)

• Igbo: ajọ
• Irish: ainbhéasach, coirpe, drochmhúinte, duáilceach, mínáireach, oilbhéasach, olc
• Japanese: 悪質な (Akushitsuna)
• Javanese: ganas (jv)
• Latin: vitiosus
• Spanish: vicioso
• Swedish: illvillig (sv), elak (sv), ond (sv), omoralisk (sv)
• Turkish: ahlaksız (tr), kötü (tr), muzır (tr)
• Welsh: gwydus

---

Middle English

Etymology

Borrowed from Anglo-Norman vicious, from Latin vitiōsus; equivalent to vice +‎ -ous.

Alternative forms

• viciows, vicius, vycious, vycyus, vicyous, vecyous, vysyous, vycios, vycyous, vicyows

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /visiˈuːs/, /visˈjuːs/, /ˈvisjus/

Adjective

vicious (plural and weak singular viciouse)

1. Iniquitous, sinful, wicked (often in a way that causes harm or vice to/in others)
2. (rare) Lacking purity or cleanness; spoiled or defiled.
3. (rare) Inaccurate, modified, or debased; of substandard quality.
4. (rare) Injurious, dangerous; causing serious harm.

Descendants

• English: vicious
• Scots: veecious

References

• “viciǒus (adj.)” in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2019-03-01.

---

Old French

Adjective

vicious m (oblique and nominative feminine singular viciouse)

1. vicious; malicious
2. defective; not capable of functioning

Declension

Declension of vicious

Number	Case	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Singular	Subject	vicious	viciouse	vicious
	Oblique	vicious	viciouse	vicious
Plural	Subject	vicious	viciouses	vicious
	Oblique	vicious	viciouses	vicious

References

• vicios on the Anglo-Norman On-Line Hub