VICIOUSNESS Synonyms: 133 Similar and Opposite Words

viciousness

noun

Definition of viciousness

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

as in cruelty

disposition to willfully inflict pain and suffering on others the unspeakable viciousness of some dictators in the past

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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 His oldest son, Rigby, was about to start high school, which filled Flanagan with dread about the viciousness that might await him. — Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026 The viciousness of Manson’s crimes left a lasting mark on American culture and Manson himself achieved a perverse popularity — which has not dissipated in the years since his death. — Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 15 Aug. 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 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 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 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 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 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

Noun

In October, a Newton County grand jury indicted 43-year-old Taiesha Wilson on charges of malice murder, murder, concealing the death of another, identity theft, and more.

— Dan Raby, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026
Kingston Bradley of Smyrna, Georgia, was arrested and charged with concealing the death of another and malice murder in connection with Mosley’s death.

— Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 26 Sep. 2026

Definition of malice

Noun

Luhansk, this terra incognita of the independent Ukraine, is described in almost carnivalesque terms, but this is a carnival infused with absurdity and even cruelty.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 14 Oct. 2026
Artistaya Arriyawongsa directed and co-wrote the film, which uses the supernatural to probe online cruelty and the public shaming it fuels.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of cruelty

Noun

There’s a real opportunity in the fourth episode to do something fun, or at least interesting, when Tyson convinces Russ to join him in smoking hallucinatory toad venom, but no flair or flourishes emerge.

— Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 13 Oct. 2026
Spiders, for instance, have muscles surrounding their venom glands, which contract and eject venom through hollow fangs.

— Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of venom

Noun

Notable releases include a novel about police brutality, the return of Barbara Kingsolver, 1980s fiction and a deep dive into the very real specter of artificial intelligence.

— Theara Coleman, TheWeek, 8 Oct. 2026
The government suspended the use of stun grenades after a 15-year-old boy's hand was blown off earlier in the week, fueling accusations of police brutality.

— Jenni Reid, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of brutality

Noun

The immigration of people from an entirely different world, people with hatred in their hearts, has shattered that once great country.

— Leonie Kidd, CNBC, 19 Oct. 2026
Underneath that façade was a sociopathic white supremacist neo-Nazi filled with hatred, fantasizing about mass murder nearly every day.

— Asal Rezaei, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of hatred

Browse Nearby Words

viciously

viciousness

vicissitude

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“Viciousness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/viciousness. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of viciousness

noun

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