vicious

adjective Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French vicios, from Latin vitiosus full of faults, corrupt, from vitium vice Date: 14th century 1. having the nature or quality of vice or immorality ; depraved 2. defective, faulty; also invalid 3. impure, noxious 4. a. dangerously aggressive ; savage <

a vicious dog

> b. marked by violence or ferocity ; fierce <

a vicious fight

> 5. malicious, spiteful <

vicious gossip

> 6. worsened by internal causes that reciprocally augment each other <

a vicious wage-price spiral

> • viciously adverb • viciousness noun Synonyms: vicious, villainous, iniquitous, nefarious, corrupt, degenerate mean highly reprehensible or offensive in character, nature, or conduct. vicious may directly oppose virtuous in implying moral depravity, or may connote malignancy, cruelty, or destructive violence <

a vicious gangster

>. villainous applies to any evil, depraved, or vile conduct or characteristic <

a villainous assault

>. iniquitous implies absence of all signs of justice or fairness <

an iniquitous system of taxation

>. nefarious suggests flagrant breaching of time-honored laws and traditions of conduct <

the nefarious rackets of organized crime

>. corrupt stresses a loss of moral integrity or probity causing betrayal of principle or sworn obligations <

city hall was rife with corrupt politicians

>. degenerate suggests having sunk to an especially vicious or enervated condition <

a degenerate regime propped up by foreign powers

>.