Wicked — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective adverb /ˈwi-kəd/ wick·ed

Meaning & Definition of Wicked

Wicked (adjective)

  1. morally very bad, evil
  2. fierce, vicious
  3. disposed to or marked by mischief, roguish

Wicked (adverb)

  1. very, extremely

Wicked (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. not conforming to a high moral standard; morally unacceptable

    "a wicked urge to steal just for the sake of stealing"

    similar: bad, dark, evil, immoral, iniquitous, nefarious, rotten, sinful, unethical, unlawful, unrighteous, unsavory, vicious, vile, villainous, wrong
    related: base, contemptible, despicable, dirty, disreputable, evil-minded, ignoble, ill, infernal, low, mean, snide, sordid, atrocious, cruel, infamous, nasty, blamable, blameworthy, censurable, objectionable, obscene, offensive, reprehensible, corrupt, debased, debauched, degenerate, depraved, dissolute, libertine, loose, low-minded, perverted, reprobate, scrofulous, sick, unhealthy, cursed, cussed, defiling, noxious, pernicious, pestilential, ugly, ungodly, unwholesome, banned, barred, condemned, discouraged, forbidden, illegal, interdicted, outlawed, prohibited, proscribed, unauthorized, unclean, disallowed, execrable, lousy, miserable, wretched, errant, erring, fallen, unprincipled, unscrupulous, improper, incorrect, indecent, indecorous, naughty, unbecoming, unseemly, vulgar, dishonest, dishonorable
    opposite: decent, ethical, good, honest, honorable, just, moral, right, righteous, sublime, upright, virtuous
    near: elevated, high, high-minded, law-abiding, legitimate, lofty, noble, principled, reputable, scrupulous, allowed, authorized, legal, licensed, permissible, permitted, approved, endorsed, sanctioned, abetted, encouraged, promoted, supported, clean, correct, decent, decorous, exemplary, proper, seemly, blameless, commendable, creditable, guiltless, chaste, immaculate, incorruptible, innocent, inoffensive, irreproachable, lily-white, perfect, pure, spotless, squeaky-clean, uncorrupted, unerring, unfallen, unobjectionable, venerable, white, wholesome, esteemed, respected, upstanding, worthy

  2. tending to or exhibiting reckless playfulness

    "a wicked grin on his face when he said that"

    similar: arch, devilish, elvish, espiègle, impish, knavish, leprechaunish, mischievous, pixie, pixieish, prankish, puckish, rascally, roguish, scampish, sly, tricksy, waggish
    related: antic, coltish, coy, frisky, frolicsome, kittenish, playful, sportful, sportive, gay, happy, lighthearted, whimsical, energetic, lively, spirited, sprightly, artful, crafty, cunning, trickish, tricky, wily, misbehaving, naughty, troublemaking, pestering, riling, teasing
    near: grave, grim, sedate, sober, solemn, staid, stern

  3. not giving pleasure to the mind or senses

    "rotting eggs create a truly wicked stench"

    "caused a rash with a wicked itch"

    similar: bad, bitter, disagreeable, displeasing, distasteful, harsh, icky, nasty, rotten, sour, uncongenial, unlovely, unpalatable, unpleasant, unpleasing, unsavory, unwelcome, yucky
    related: abhorrent, abominable, appalling, awful, beastly, bilious, disgusting, dreadful, foul, ghastly, gnarly (slang), god-awful, gross, hateful, hellish, hideous, horrendous, horrible, horrid, invidious, loathsome, nauseating, nauseous, noisome, obnoxious, obscene, odious, offensive, repellent, repugnant, repulsive, revolting, revulsive, scandalous, seamy, shocking, sick, sickening, ugly, unholy, vile, villainous, aggravating, annoying, galling, irritating, vexing, crappy (slang), cruddy, crummy, lousy, miserable, sucky (slang), wretched
    opposite: agreeable, congenial, good, grateful, gratifying, nice, palatable, pleasant, pleasing, pleasurable, satisfying, welcome
    near: delectable, delicious, delightful, dreamy, felicitous, amiable, charming, cheery, friendly, jolly, kindly, sweet

  4. causing or capable of causing harm

    "a wicked insult that deeply hurt his self-esteem for many years"

    similar: adverse, bad, baleful, baneful, damaging, dangerous, deleterious, detrimental, evil, harmful, hurtful, ill, injurious, mischievous, nocuous, noxious, pernicious, prejudicial
    related: hostile, inimical, unfriendly, contagious, deadly, infectious, infective, pestiferous, pestilent, pestilential, poisonous, venomous, insidious, menacing, ominous, sinister, threatening, hazardous, imperiling, jeopardizing, parlous, perilous, risky, unsafe, unsound, nasty, noisome, unhealthful, unhealthy, unwholesome, destructive, fatal, killer, lethal, malignant, ruinous
    opposite: anodyne, benign, harmless, hurtless, innocent, innocuous, inoffensive, safe
    near: advantageous, beneficial, useful, favorable, good, propitious, curative, healthful, healthy, helpful, palliative, remedial, salubrious, salutary, wholesome, secure, sound, benignant, noncorrosive, nondestructive, nonfatal, noninfectious, nonlethal, nonpoisonous, nonpolluting, nontoxic, nonvenomous

Wicked (adverb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to a great degree

    "we were wicked excited when our team finally won the pennant after so many years"

    similar: achingly, almighty, archly, awful, awfully, badly, beastly, blisteringly, bone, colossally, corking, cracking, damn, damned, dang, deadly, desperately, eminently, enormously, especially, ever, exceedingly, extra, extremely, fabulously, fantastically, far, fiercely, filthy, frightfully, full, greatly, heavily, highly, hugely, immensely, incredibly, intensely, jolly, majorly, mightily, mighty, monstrous (chiefly dialect), mortally, most, much, particularly, passing, rattling, real, really, right, roaring, roaringly, seriously, severely, so, sore, sorely, spanking, specially, stinking, such, super, supremely, surpassingly, terribly, that, thumping, too, unco, uncommonly, vastly, very, vitally, way, whacking, wildly, a lot, as all get-out, good and
    related: absolutely, altogether, completely, downright, entirely, flat-out, fully, positively, purely, radically, thoroughly, totally, utterly, wholly, deeply, profoundly, exceptionally, notably, remarkably, considerably, extensively, significantly, substantially, appreciably, discernibly, markedly, noticeably, obviously, palpably, plainly, visibly, abundantly, plentifully, astronomically, grandly, monstrously, monumentally, excessively, obscenely, overmuch, amazingly, astonishingly, staggeringly
    opposite: little, negligibly, nominally, slightly, somewhat
    near: meagerly, scantily, barely, hardly, just, marginally, minimally, scarcely

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Wicked

The most common words with a similar meaning to Wicked:

Chiefly dialect: monstrous
bad, dark, evil, immoral, iniquitous, nefarious, rotten, sinful, unethical, unlawful, unrighteous, unsavory, vicious, vile, villainous, wrong, arch, devilish, elvish, espiègle, impish, knavish, leprechaunish, mischievous, pixie, pixieish, prankish, puckish, rascally, roguish, scampish, sly, tricksy, waggish, bitter, disagreeable, displeasing, distasteful, harsh, icky

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Wicked

Words with the opposite meaning of Wicked:

decent, ethical, good, honest, honorable, just, moral, right, righteous, sublime, upright, virtuous, agreeable, congenial, grateful, gratifying, nice, palatable, pleasant, pleasing, pleasurable, satisfying, welcome, anodyne, benign, harmless, hurtless, innocent, innocuous, inoffensive

Related Words for Wicked

base, contemptible, despicable, dirty, disreputable, evil-minded, ignoble, infernal, low, mean, snide, sordid, atrocious, cruel, infamous, blamable, blameworthy, censurable, objectionable, obscene, offensive, reprehensible, corrupt, debased, debauched, degenerate, depraved, dissolute, libertine, loose

Near Antonyms of Wicked

elevated, high, high-minded, law-abiding, legitimate, lofty, noble, principled, reputable, scrupulous, allowed, authorized, legal, licensed, permissible, permitted, approved, endorsed, sanctioned, abetted, encouraged, promoted, supported, clean, correct, decorous, exemplary, proper, seemly, blameless

Word Forms of Wicked

Derived words: wickedly (adverb)

Origin & Etymology of Wicked

Middle English, alteration of wicke wicked, perhaps from Old English wicca

First known use: 13th century

Frequently Asked Questions about Wicked

What does "Wicked" mean?

"Wicked" means morally very bad, evil. As an an adjective and an adverb, it is defined as: morally very bad, evil. It has 5 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Wicked"?

Other words for "Wicked" include bad, dark, evil, immoral, iniquitous, nefarious, rotten and sinful. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Wicked" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Wicked"?

There are 364 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Wicked". Common alternatives include bad, dark, evil, immoral, iniquitous, nefarious, rotten, sinful, unethical and unlawful.

What is the opposite of "Wicked"?

Antonyms of "Wicked" include decent, ethical, good, honest, honorable, just, moral and right. Near antonyms include elevated, high, high-minded and law-abiding.

How do you use "Wicked" in a sentence?

Examples of "Wicked" in a sentence: "a wicked urge to steal just for the sake of stealing"; "a wicked grin on his face when he said that"; "rotting eggs create a truly wicked stench".

Is "Wicked" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Wicked" can be used as an adjective and an adverb, depending on the context.

How do you pronounce "Wicked"?

"Wicked" is pronounced /ˈwi-kəd/ and divided into syllables as wick·ed.

What is the origin of the word "Wicked"?

"Wicked" comes from Middle English, alteration of wicke wicked, perhaps from Old English wicca. First known use: 13th century.