The Collaborative International Dictionary
Vicious \Vi"cious\, a. [OF. vicious, F. vicieux, fr. L. vitiosus, fr. vitium vice. See Vice a fault.]
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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. -
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. Wanting purity; foul; bad; noxious; as, vicious air, water, etc.
--Dryden.Not correct or pure; corrupt; as, vicious language; vicious idioms.
Not well tamed or broken; given to bad tricks; unruly; refractory; as, a vicious horse.
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Bitter; spiteful; malignant. [Colloq.]
Syn: Corrupt; faulty; wicked; depraved. [1913 Webster] -- Vi"cious*ly, adv. -- Vi"cious*ness, n.
Wiktionary
adv. In a vicious manner; ferociously or maliciously.
WordNet
Usage examples of "viciously".
Tissaphernes, whirling quickly, slashed it viciously through the air almost faster than the eye could see, slicing off the head of the guard who had struck Asteria, as a gardener lops off a wayward branch from his fruit tree.
I heard Kel let out a grunt of surprise, and Axel swore loudly and viciously as he got into a better position.
The government had viciously attacked him and the bet, calling it a con game meant to bilk the citizens of America.
Stone viciously jabbed the elevator button as Nazario gave Burch a soulful glance back over his shoulder.
Filfaeril grinned viciously and glided to his side without stumbling or tripping or finding some other excuse to let even one of the awful canapes slide off the tray.
Despite the difference in height between the cog and the manta, the sahuagin attacked viciously.
Viciously, Dingbat shoved his gun for The Shadow, pressed the muzzle home.
Ginger viciously, and throwing back his arm, was about to hurl the doubloon far out to sea when he was arrested in the act by the sound of a distant rifle shot.
While out on furlough, he viciously beat a man, repeatedly raped a woman, and then killed himself.
The captain said something viciously sarcastic, then turned to his Garand again.
Jahdo as viciously unjust that these people would be haggling over the ordinary details of their lives, something as petty as a gambling debt, probably, while they were dragging him off to slavery.
He was just dizzy and careless enough to annoy his sensitive horse, which as he drew it viciously up at the tomb neighed and pawed and tossed its head, much as on that former occasion when the rain had vexed it.
It was obvious, to Calli at least, that Revar was a constant reminder of the little boy whose life Sadone had so viciously snuffed out eight years before.
But then she recognized him, the stranger in the street with the high beaver hat, and she realized with a jolt of terror that she was standing alone with the French officer who had tortured Heath so viciously in Sahagun that he bore the physical scars of it to this day.
Twisting the arm viciously down and aside with a force that nearly tore it from its socket, Cormac flung Skol back on the divan.