Definition of vile adjective from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

vile

adjective

/vaɪl/

(comparative viler, superlative vilest)

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(informal) extremely unpleasant or bad synonym disgusting
- There was a vile smell coming from the locked room.
- The weather was really vile most of the time.
- He was in a vile mood.
Synonyms terrible
terribleawful ▪ horrible ▪ dreadful ▪ vile ▪ horrendousThese words all describe something that is very unpleasant.
terrible very bad or unpleasant; making you feel unhappy, frightened, upset, ill, guilty or disapproving:
What terrible news!
That’s a terrible thing to say!
awful (rather informal) very bad or unpleasant; used to describe something that you do not like or that makes you feel depressed, ill, guilty or disapproving:
That’s an awful colour.
The weather last summer was awful.
horrible (rather informal) very unpleasant; used to describe something that you do not like:
The coffee tasted horrible.
dreadful (especially British English, rather informal) very bad or unpleasant; used to describe something that you do not like or that you disapprove of:
What dreadful weather!
vile (informal) extremely bad or unpleasant:
There was a vile smell coming from the room.
He was in a vile mood.
horrendous (rather informal) extremely unpleasant and unacceptable:
The traffic around the city was horrendous.
Patterns
- terrible/awful/horrible/dreadful for somebody
- a(n) terrible/awful/horrible/dreadful/vile thing
- a(n) terrible/awful/horrible/vile smell
- terrible/awful/horrible/dreadful/vile/horrendous conditions
- terrible/awful/horrible/dreadful/vile weather
- terrible/awful/dreadful news
Extra Examples
- a pretty vile thing to do
- a really vile smell
(formal) morally bad; completely unacceptable synonym wicked
- the vile practice of taking hostages
- It was a vile business from beginning to end.

Word OriginMiddle English: via Old French from Latin vilis ‘of low value’.

See vile in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

Check pronunciation: vile

Nearby words

trait

noun

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