vicious: Meaning and Definition of

vi•cious

Pronunciation: (vish'us), [key]
— adj.
  1. addicted to or characterized by vice; grossly immoral; depraved; profligate: a vicious life.
  2. given or readily disposed to evil: a vicious criminal.
  3. reprehensible; blameworthy; wrong: a vicious deception.
  4. spiteful; malicious: vicious gossip; a vicious attack.
  5. unpleasantly severe: a vicious headache.
  6. characterized or marred by faults or defects; faulty; unsound: vicious reasoning.
  7. savage; ferocious: They all feared his vicious temper.
  8. (of an animal) having bad habits or a cruel or fierce disposition: a vicious bull.
  9. morbid, foul, or noxious.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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