1
3
: worsened by internal causes that reciprocally augment each other
a vicious wage-price spiral
viciously
adverb
viciousness
noun
Synonyms
Examples of vicious in a Sentence
Challenging areas of social consensus, however dumb or even vicious the consensus, is largely off limits for the media, because it wins no friends among the general public.
—
Richard A. Posner, New York Times Book Review, 31 July 2005
The genetically vicious nature of presidential campaigns in America is too obvious to argue with, but some people call it fun, and I am one of them.
—Dr. Hunter S. Thompson, Rolling Stone, 11 Nov. 2004
True to Finals form, this hardwood battle has become as vicious as any street scrum.
—Anne Marie Cruz, ESPN, 24 June 2002
For most of my life I have retained a haunting image from an old Tarzan movie: piranhas, those vicious little fish with the arrowhead-shaped teeth, devouring a pig. Forget that there are no piranha in Africa. But they do exist in Brazil, in abundance in the meandering waterways of the Amazon Basin.
—Gerald Eskenazi, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2002
The Olympics always seemed too much like war, vicious old men manipulating youngsters hungry for fame into performing heroic acts for short change.
—Robert Lipsyte, New York Times, 29 July 2001
His slider—a vicious, hard-breaking pitch with which he finished off right-handed hitters for years—was inconsistent and benign, and the velocity of his fastball was diminished.
—Buster Olney, New York Times Magazine, 4 Mar. 2001
a vicious tone of voice
I know you're upset with her, but there's no need to be vicious.
Richard A. Posner, New York Times Book Review, 31 July 2005
The genetically vicious nature of presidential campaigns in America is too obvious to argue with, but some people call it fun, and I am one of them.
—Dr. Hunter S. Thompson, Rolling Stone, 11 Nov. 2004
True to Finals form, this hardwood battle has become as vicious as any street scrum.
—Anne Marie Cruz, ESPN, 24 June 2002
For most of my life I have retained a haunting image from an old Tarzan movie: piranhas, those vicious little fish with the arrowhead-shaped teeth, devouring a pig. Forget that there are no piranha in Africa. But they do exist in Brazil, in abundance in the meandering waterways of the Amazon Basin.
—Gerald Eskenazi, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2002
The Olympics always seemed too much like war, vicious old men manipulating youngsters hungry for fame into performing heroic acts for short change.
—Robert Lipsyte, New York Times, 29 July 2001
His slider—a vicious, hard-breaking pitch with which he finished off right-handed hitters for years—was inconsistent and benign, and the velocity of his fastball was diminished.
—Buster Olney, New York Times Magazine, 4 Mar. 2001
a vicious tone of voice
I know you're upset with her, but there's no need to be vicious.
Recent Examples on the Web
There was a vicious cycle that was set in motion by the mortgage crisis.
—Nushrat Rahman, Detroit Free Press, 17 Apr. 2024
Winger Ousmane Dembélé equalized with a vicious strike in the 48th minute, before Vitinha kept his cool to hand his side the lead in the 51st minute.
—Ben Church, CNN, 11 Apr. 2024
This is Ruth Gelman, a husk of her former self after a vicious intruder with icy blue eyes brutally attacked her at home in New York.
—Sarah Lyall, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2024
Because the vicious cycle between domestic violence and housing instability is well known, domestic violence experts have argued for policies to provide quick, specialized assistance for survivors who seek emergency housing support.
—Lauren Cattaneo, The Conversation, 11 Apr. 2024
That means Gru is left to deal with lasers, guards and a vicious honey badger with only diaper rash cream, baby bottles and a pacifier to protect him.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 10 Apr. 2024
An investigation by The Arizona Republic published in December first detailed a string of vicious assaults by the Gilbert Goons, which had gone unchecked since at least 2022.
—The Arizona Republic, 9 Apr. 2024
This outcome is emblematic of a vicious cycle in which Russia absorbs Ukrainian ingenuity and turns it back against Ukraine, spurring further lethal ingenuity.
—Luke Mogelson, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
The immune system loses its ability to repair wounds and fight infections such as those causing diarrhea, which can create a vicious cycle that further deprives the body of nutrients.
—Lauren Weber, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2024
Nushrat Rahman, Detroit Free Press, 17 Apr. 2024
Winger Ousmane Dembélé equalized with a vicious strike in the 48th minute, before Vitinha kept his cool to hand his side the lead in the 51st minute.
—Ben Church, CNN, 11 Apr. 2024
This is Ruth Gelman, a husk of her former self after a vicious intruder with icy blue eyes brutally attacked her at home in New York.
—Sarah Lyall, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2024
Because the vicious cycle between domestic violence and housing instability is well known, domestic violence experts have argued for policies to provide quick, specialized assistance for survivors who seek emergency housing support.
—Lauren Cattaneo, The Conversation, 11 Apr. 2024
That means Gru is left to deal with lasers, guards and a vicious honey badger with only diaper rash cream, baby bottles and a pacifier to protect him.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 10 Apr. 2024
An investigation by The Arizona Republic published in December first detailed a string of vicious assaults by the Gilbert Goons, which had gone unchecked since at least 2022.
—The Arizona Republic, 9 Apr. 2024
This outcome is emblematic of a vicious cycle in which Russia absorbs Ukrainian ingenuity and turns it back against Ukraine, spurring further lethal ingenuity.
—Luke Mogelson, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
The immune system loses its ability to repair wounds and fight infections such as those causing diarrhea, which can create a vicious cycle that further deprives the body of nutrients.
—Lauren Weber, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'vicious.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Vicious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vicious. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
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