as in hatefully
in a mean or spiteful manner
the administrator viciously denied me the time off that I needed to attend my dear aunt's funeral
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Recent Examples of viciously
At the end of a two-week trial, the verdict went strongly in favor of Maria Avila, who was viciously attacked by Hades, a 200-pound Caucasian shepherd owned by Brown, while emptying trash outside the singer’s Tarzana, California house.
—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
1 July 2026
Anyone angry enough to punch someone else in the head that viciously should go straight to jail.
—
Boston Herald Editorial Staff,
Boston Herald,
30 June 2026
Often, Kara and other young women are in peril, and quite a few people die or are viciously murdered.
—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
26 June 2026
And then there is County Road 450A near Umatill, which was rightfully stripped of McCall’s name in 2007 after area residents protested the honor toward one of the most viciously racist sheriffs in Florida history.
—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
19 June 2026
The experience of unveiling and being viciously denounced by all sides was a brutal lesson at twenty-seven.
—
Literary Hub,
18 June 2026
Given how suspiciously and viciously the team’s fans reacted to their ownership through the years, the Kroenkes deserved this snapshot.
—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
7 June 2026
And then Daniel Durtson viciously went off on Taylor in the BB bathroom.
—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 June 2026
Young mother Rachel Nickell is brutally murdered in her own home, stabbed with scissors so viciously that a blade gets lodged in her skull.
—
K. Thor Jensen,
PC Magazine,
29 May 2026
Chris Willman,
Variety,
1 July 2026
Anyone angry enough to punch someone else in the head that viciously should go straight to jail.
—
Boston Herald Editorial Staff,
Boston Herald,
30 June 2026
Often, Kara and other young women are in peril, and quite a few people die or are viciously murdered.
—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
26 June 2026
And then there is County Road 450A near Umatill, which was rightfully stripped of McCall’s name in 2007 after area residents protested the honor toward one of the most viciously racist sheriffs in Florida history.
—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
19 June 2026
The experience of unveiling and being viciously denounced by all sides was a brutal lesson at twenty-seven.
—
Literary Hub,
18 June 2026
Given how suspiciously and viciously the team’s fans reacted to their ownership through the years, the Kroenkes deserved this snapshot.
—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
7 June 2026
And then Daniel Durtson viciously went off on Taylor in the BB bathroom.
—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 June 2026
Young mother Rachel Nickell is brutally murdered in her own home, stabbed with scissors so viciously that a blade gets lodged in her skull.
—
K. Thor Jensen,
PC Magazine,
29 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for viciously
Adverb
-
In Friday’s ruling, Liman wrote that Baldoni’s team had produced no evidence demonstrating Lively acted maliciously when making her allegations.
-
Alleging that Dillon was maliciously prosecuted, the lawsuit demands financial damages and changes in how the police and sheriffs’ offices use facial recognition technology.
Adverb
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In other words, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you.
Adverb
-
With a goalkeeping howler and a red card, Marcelo Bielsa’s side self-imploded at the end of a bitterly disappointing tournament.
-
And the organization’s internal splinter groups, the Soviet-leaning Weatherman Underground and the Maoist-leaning Progressive Labor faction fought each other bitterly.
Adverb
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With the same masterful blend of wit, insight, and empathy that made John Proctor a runaway hit, Born in the Dirt is a wickedly funny, vibrantly human new play about the meaning of art, community, and the complicated business of making something that lasts.
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Enter Yesteryear, Caro Claire Burke’s wickedly funny novel about a trad wife influencer who goes back in time to discover the past is more brutal than bucolic.
Adverb
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We were warned by President and Supreme Allied Commander Dwight Eisenhower, along with United States Marine Major General Smedley Butler about the virulently toxic, corruptive and destabilizing influences exerted upon our government by the military industrial complex.
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Runway is going virulently viral for all the wrong reasons, and its editor, the legendary Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep), is, for once, at a loss for a withering mot juste when her advertisers demand an explanation.
Adverb
-
Images of Labubus beamed malevolently from their packaging, as if gloating in their unreachability.
Cite this Entry
“Viciously.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/viciously. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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