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“vicious”
vicious (adjective), more vicious, most vicious
1. Ferocious and violent; carried out with intense violence and an apparent desire to inflict serious harm, or acting in an aggressive, cruel, and violent way: Roy's cousin had a vicious temper and would attempt to yell at anyone who taunted or bothered him.
2. Dangerous and aggressive and liable to attack or bite: Dina's vicious dog was kept on a strong leash whenever he was taken out for a walk.
3. Conveying maliciousness and intended to cause someone mental anguish or to defame that person: Gossips often have very vicious tongues and take pleasure in causing discomfort among their victims.
4. Pertaining to extremely severe or powerful and damaging results: The effect of the vicious hurricane was reported widely in the press which used graphic photographs.
5. Involving a chain of cause and effect or action and reaction in which things get progressively worse: After her fall on the concrete steps, Allison felt as if she were caught in a vicious cycle of appointments; first the doctor; followed by the therapist, then the home nurse, etc.
6. Wicked and immoral; such as, displaying or given to immoral behavior: Hanging out with street gangs was a vicious behavior that often got Lawrence into trouble.
7. Etymology: from Anglo-French vicious, Old French vicieus, from Latin vitiosus, "faulty, defective, corrupt" from Latin vitium, "fault".
2. Dangerous and aggressive and liable to attack or bite: Dina's vicious dog was kept on a strong leash whenever he was taken out for a walk.
3. Conveying maliciousness and intended to cause someone mental anguish or to defame that person: Gossips often have very vicious tongues and take pleasure in causing discomfort among their victims.
4. Pertaining to extremely severe or powerful and damaging results: The effect of the vicious hurricane was reported widely in the press which used graphic photographs.
5. Involving a chain of cause and effect or action and reaction in which things get progressively worse: After her fall on the concrete steps, Allison felt as if she were caught in a vicious cycle of appointments; first the doctor; followed by the therapist, then the home nurse, etc.
6. Wicked and immoral; such as, displaying or given to immoral behavior: Hanging out with street gangs was a vicious behavior that often got Lawrence into trouble.
7. Etymology: from Anglo-French vicious, Old French vicieus, from Latin vitiosus, "faulty, defective, corrupt" from Latin vitium, "fault".
This entry is located in the following units:
-ous, -ious, -eous
(page 22)
viti-, vitu-, vic-
(page 1)
vicious, viscose, viscous
vicious (VISH uhs) (adjective)
Disposed to or characterized by violent or destructive behavior: "The mean dog showed vicious behavior towards the mailman when he tried to deliver the mail."
viscose (VIS kohs) (noun)
The thick organic liquid cellulose used in the making of rayon and cellophane: "Her dress was made of 100 percent viscose fabric for a lighter and cooler feeling."
viscous (VIS kuhs) (adjective)
Having relatively high resistance to flowing or a thick, gummy liquid which is hard to pour: "Examples of viscous liquids include molasses, honey, oil, and syrup."
When the vicious boy tried to pour the viscous honey on his sister's new viscose dress, she was able to hit the jar and the sticky contents ended up on him instead.
This entry is located in the following unit:
Confusing Words Clarified: Group V; Homonyms, Homophones, Homographs, Synonyms, Polysemes, etc. +
(page 2)
A unit related to:
“vicious”
(Latin: crooked, crookedness; perverted, vicious, wicked; borrowed through Old French depraver or directly from Latin depravare, "to corrupt"; from de, "completely" + pravus, "crooked")