English → Latin
“vicious” in Latin
vitiōsusfull of faults or defects; faulty, defective, bad, corrupt; morally faulty, wicked, depraved, viciousturpisugly, unsightly; foul, filthy; cacophonous, disagreeable; base, infamous, scandalous, dishonorable, shameful, disgracefuimprobusexcessive, immoderate, flagrant, impudent; greedy, wanton, ravenous; wicked, bad, villainous, immoral, impious, maliciouflāgitiōsusshameful, disgraceful, scandalous; profligate, dissoluteinquinōto pollute, defile, stain, befoul; to corrupt, contaminatescelestuswicked, villainous, criminal, abominable; calamitous, unfortunatescelerōto defile, contaminate, pollutevitiumflaw, defect, blemish, imperfection; vice; crime, wrongdoing, misdeed, sin, error, faultflāgitiumdisgraceful or shameful action, deed, or crime; scandal; shame, disgrace, outrage
The English word vicious itself goes back to Latin vitium, through vitiōsus.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
vicious
vitiosus (faulty, defective): turpis (shameful, disgraceful): improbus (morally bad): flagitiosus (infamous, gross; all of persons and things). (The words are found in this connection and order.) vitiosus ac flagitiosus: cujus in animo improbitas versatur (morally bad; of persons): vitiis contaminatus, inquinatus (stained with vice; of persons): scelestus: sceleratus (criminal; the former in respect of disposition, the latter in respect of action; of persons and things): Extremely vicious, vitiis, flagitiis, sceleribus obrutus (of persons); vitiis flagitiisque omnibus deditus (of persons and things).
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for vicious?
- The usual Latin words for “vicious” are vitiōsus, turpis, improbus; also flāgitiōsus, inquinō, scelestus. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.
Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.