First published 1917; not yet revised
viciousadjective
Factsheet
What does the adjective vicious mean?
There are 23 meanings listed in OED's entry for the adjective vicious, five of which are labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.
vicious has developed meanings and uses in subjects including
Entry status
OED is undergoing a continuous programme of revision to modernize and improve definitions. This entry has not yet been fully revised.
How common is the adjective vicious?
About 6occurrences per million words in modern written English
| 1750 | 17 |
| 1760 | 16 |
| 1770 | 14 |
| 1780 | 14 |
| 1790 | 15 |
| 1800 | 15 |
| 1810 | 14 |
| 1820 | 13 |
| 1830 | 12 |
| 1840 | 11 |
| 1850 | 9.3 |
| 1860 | 8.6 |
| 1870 | 7.8 |
| 1880 | 7.7 |
| 1890 | 7.6 |
| 1900 | 7.6 |
| 1910 | 7.5 |
| 1920 | 7.5 |
| 1930 | 7.5 |
| 1940 | 7.3 |
| 1950 | 7.1 |
| 1960 | 6.7 |
| 1970 | 6.3 |
| 1980 | 5.8 |
| 1990 | 5.6 |
| 2000 | 5.6 |
| 2010 | 5.7 |
How is the adjective vicious pronounced?
British English
/ˈvɪʃəs/
VISH-uhss
U.S. English
/ˈvɪʃəs/
VISH-uhss
Where does the adjective vicious come from?
Earliest known use
Middle English
The earliest known use of the adjective vicious is in the Middle English period (1150—1500).
OED's earliest evidence for vicious is from around 1340, in the writing of Richard Rolle, hermit and religious author.
vicious is of multiple origins. Either a borrowing from French. Or a borrowing from Latin.
Etymons: French vicious; Latin vitiōsus.
Nearby entries
- Vici, n.1888–
- vicinage, n.a1325–
- Vicinal, n.1895–
- vicinal, adj.1623–
- vicinate, v.1638
- vicine, adj.a1513–
- vicinism, n.1905–
- vicinist, n.1905–
- vicinity, n.1560–
- vicinous, adj.1825–
- vicious, adj.c1340–
- vicious cycle, n.1846–
- viciously, adv.a1325–
- viciousness, n.1440–
- vicissitous, adj.1865–
- vicissitudal, adj.1598
- vicissitudally, adv.1612
- vicissitude, n.1565–
- vicissitudinal, adj.1588
- vicissitudinarian, adj.c1729
- vicissitudinarious, adj.1667
Etymology
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Meaning & use
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Pronunciation
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Forms
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Frequency
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Compounds & derived words
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Entry history for vicious, adj.
vicious, adj. was first published in 1917; not yet revised.
vicious, adj. was last modified in March 2024.
Revision of the OED is a long-term project. Entries in oed.com which have not been revised may include:
- corrections and revisions to definitions, pronunciation, etymology, headwords, variant spellings, quotations, and dates;
- new senses, phrases, and quotations which have been added in subsequent print and online updates.
Revisions and additions of this kind were last incorporated into vicious, adj. in March 2024.
Earlier versions of this entry were published in:
OED First Edition (1917)
OED Second Edition (1989)
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Factsheet for vicious, adj.
Browse entry
Nearby entries
- Vici, n.1888–
- vicinage, n.a1325–
- Vicinal, n.1895–
- vicinal, adj.1623–
- vicinate, v.1638
- vicine, adj.a1513–
- vicinism, n.1905–
- vicinist, n.1905–
- vicinity, n.1560–
- vicinous, adj.1825–
- vicious, adj.c1340–
- vicious cycle, n.1846–
- viciously, adv.a1325–
- viciousness, n.1440–
- vicissitous, adj.1865–
- vicissitudal, adj.1598
- vicissitudally, adv.1612
- vicissitude, n.1565–
- vicissitudinal, adj.1588
- vicissitudinarian, adj.c1729
- vicissitudinarious, adj.1667
