viciousness

noun

Definition of viciousnessnext
1
as in malice
the desire to cause pain for the satisfaction of doing harm simple viciousness can be the only reason for spreading such vile, unfounded rumors

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in cruelty
disposition to willfully inflict pain and suffering on others the unspeakable viciousness of some dictators in the past

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of viciousness The casual viciousness of children is the centerpiece of the film, which has triggered audiences who grew up in the same era as Polinger. — William Earl, Variety, 23 Dec. 2025 Down 14 points with 30 seconds left, the viciousness of the hit seemed more about injuring than winning a game that was already settled. — Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 7 Jan. 2026 The movie’s grand centerpiece is a dinner party where Theo and Ivy go at each other with such viciousness that their guests can only stand by and watch, aghast. — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 29 Aug. 2025 The expediency of their exchanges (back and forth over a couple of weeks) electrified the planet, especially the mounting viciousness of Lamar’s attack (ad hominem all the way). — New York Times, 28 Apr. 2026 But this candid and absorbing memoir is also a stark reminder of the corruptions of power, the uncertainties of revolution and the frequent viciousness of human nature. — Los Angeles Times, 24 Feb. 2026 The jury further determined that the crimes involved a threat of great bodily harm and demonstrated a high degree of cruelty, viciousness or callousness, the district attorney's office said. — Richard Ramos, CBS News, 18 June 2026 The horror has come now like a storm— what if this night prefigured the night after death— what if all thereafter was an eternal quivering on the edge of an abyss, with everything base and vicious in oneself urging one forward and the baseness and viciousness of the world just ahead. — Literary Hub, 3 Mar. 2026 Hinkey finds both viciousness and vulnerability within Red Feather, crafting, through his fierce physicality and long, unblinking gazes, a man aware of the world steadily leaving him behind. — Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for viciousness
  1. malice
  2. cruelty
  3. venom
  4. brutality
  5. hatred
Noun
  • But on Wednesday, the jury in the latest trial found that MGA had not acted with malice, meaning no punitive damages would be awarded.
    — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 2 July 2026
  • The company’s own investigation points less to malice than to a process that never engaged.
    — Roger Dooley, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
Definition of malice
Noun
  • According to the Sheriff’s Office, a judge released Cruz on his own recognizance June 4 following his arraignment on felony animal cruelty charges in Sacramento Superior Court.
    — Velvet Wu July 1, Sacbee.com, 2 July 2026
  • At one point, the narrator, embarrassed by his own act of cruelty, gives a sobbing woman all his money and then leaves her alone in a hotel room.
    — Hannah Jocelyn, New Yorker, 1 July 2026
Definition of cruelty
Noun
  • Public Luxury is less a dissertation on those tenets than an emotional response to the struggle to achieve it—mouths dripping with venom, eyes swollen with tears, hearts heavy with love.
    — Matthew Ismael Ruiz, Pitchfork, 26 June 2026
  • One common misconception is that lionfish are inedible because of their venom.
    — Rachel Nuwer, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 June 2026
Definition of venom
Noun
  • Lee learned much about the systemic oppression that Black Americans faced from his first student, Jesse Glover, who had been a victim of police brutality.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2026
  • These early precedents in fictional brutality also weaken Thomson’s next point, about literature’s superiority.
    — Michael O’Donnell, The Atlantic, 2 July 2026
Definition of brutality
Noun
  • The rivalry between the neighboring nations stretches back over 100 years on the pitch without ever being one that has slipped into hatred.
    — Ben Church, CNN Money, 6 July 2026
  • Proof that the babies aren’t born with hatred in their bellies and in their blood.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 July 2026
Definition of hatred

Browse Nearby Words

viciously
viciousness
vicissitude
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Cite this Entry

“Viciousness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/viciousness. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on viciousness

Nglish: Translation of viciousness for Spanish Speakers

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