wicked
Usage
What are other ways to say wicked?
Wicked implies willful and determined doing of what is very wrong: a wicked plan. Evil applies to that which violates or leads to the violation of moral law: evil practices. Ill now appears mainly in certain fixed expressions, with a milder implication than that in evil: ill will; ill-natured. Bad is the broadest and simplest term: a bad man; bad habits.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
"We didn't come to Haiti to make money, because no one is paying us for that. We came to Haiti to fight against the wicked," he said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026
The wicked Navier-Stokes problem had vexed mathematicians for nearly a century.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026
It’s so sneeringly wicked that it almost seems cartoonish, doesn’t it?
From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2026
She remembers being mesmerized by the story’s wicked witch.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
“You needn’t feel wicked, my child! You had no winter things and got the simplest with your own hard earnings,” said Mrs. March with a look that warmed Jo’s heart.
From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott
So here are deviled eggs, made wickeder by breading and deep-frying the whites, crunchy veneer giving way to wobble.
From New York Times ● Mar. 9, 2017
Think of this book as a typical English-village mystery with a wickeder sting.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 7, 2010
That is Day-Lewis' goal and gift: to be so true to his characters that they need never be sentimentalized, made to seem finer, grander, wickeder or more appealing.
From Time Magazine Archive
"Forgiveness of injuries is ordained unto us as our first of duties," rejoined Mildred with another demure look—which was all the wickeder for its demureness.
From Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 57, No. 354, April 1845 by Various
When at length he did decide, you would have said no wilder or wickeder scheme could have entered his brain.
From The Tenants of Malory Volume 3 of 3 by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
Efforts to make it appear that one of the world’s wickedest men would be in thrall to this milky, recessive nonentity are laughable.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 14, 2026
Both characters are deeply, deeply decent people with an instinct towards caretaking and compassion, with an underlying, usually unspoken assumption that, if they’re kind enough, even the wickedest of foes will be disarmed.
From Slate ● Sep. 4, 2021
But a journalist who visited the area during construction had a different name for it: “the wickedest city in America.”
From Washington Post ● Aug. 5, 2021
But Delta is by no means the wickedest variant out there.
From New York Times ● Jul. 25, 2021
In the blackness of the eternal night, all the wickedest creatures—the trolls and banshees and ogres—have driven the good creatures into hiding.
From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish
Vocabulary lists containing wicked
Oh, No! Synonyms for "Bad"
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Macbeth's "Is this a dagger..." soliloquy
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"Frankenstein" and "How Frankenstein Began"
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a word