Adjacent Words

Viciousness definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

VI'CIOUSNESS, n.
1. Addictedness to vice; corruptness of moral principles or practice; habitual violation of the moral law, or of moral duties; depravity in principles or in manners.
What makes a governor justly despised, is viciousness and ill morals.
2. Unruliness; refractoriness; as of a beast.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: the trait of extreme cruelty [syn: ferociousness, brutality, viciousness, savagery]

Merriam Webster's

noun see vicious

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Vicious Vi"cious, a. [OF. vicious, F. vicieux, fr. L. vitiosus, fr. vitium vice. See Vice a fault.] 1. Characterized by vice or defects; defective; faulty; imperfect. Though I perchance am vicious in my guess. --Shak. The title of these lords was vicious in its origin. --Burke. A charge against Bentley of vicious reasoning. --De Quincey. 2. Addicted to vice; corrupt in principles or conduct; depraved; wicked; as, vicious children; vicious examples; vicious conduct. Who . . . heard this heavy curse, Servant of servants, on his vicious race. --Milton. 3. Wanting purity; foul; bad; noxious; as, vicious air, water, etc. --Dryden. 4. Not correct or pure; corrupt; as, vicious language; vicious idioms. 5. Not well tamed or broken; given to bad tricks; unruly; refractory; as, a vicious horse. 6. Bitter; spiteful; malignant. [Colloq.] Syn: Corrupt; faulty; wicked; depraved. -- Vi"cious*ly, adv. -- Vi"cious*ness, n.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

see vicious