Standard Lemma guide

wicked

adj · adv · noun · verb · 15 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Australian, Canada, General-American, Received-Pronunciation: wĭkʹĭd
  • Australian, Canada, General-American, Received-Pronunciation: /ˈwɪk.ɪd/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • New-Zealand: /ˈwək.əd/
  • rhymes with -ɪkɪd
  • Australian, Canada, General-American, Received-Pronunciation: wĭkt
  • Australian, Canada, General-American, Received-Pronunciation: /wɪkt/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • New-Zealand: /wəkt/
  • rhymes with -ɪkt
  • /ˈwɪkɪd/
  • CMU ARPABET: W IH1 K AH0 D Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Evil or mischievous by nature; morally reprehensible.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Genuine cowards follow wicked people and cannot reliably sustain any virtue.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: evil, immoral, malevolent, malicious, nefarious, twisted, villainous, abandoned, arrant, bad, bad apple, bad seed, baleful, scurrilous, baneful, base, black-hearted, dark, deleterious, demonic, depraved, despicable, detrimental, devilish, diabolical, evil-minded, facinorous, flagitious, harmful, heinous, ill-intentioned, ill-natured, incorrigible, iniquitous, iniquous, injurious, knavish, malefic, maleficent, malign, malignant, naughty, niddering, nidering, niding, nithing, no-good, peccaminous, pernicious, reprehensible, reprobate, satanic, scathful, sinful, sinister, sordid, sullen, ungodly, unholy, vicious, vile, wicked, wrong

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Harsh; severe.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • wicked wind

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Excellent; awesome; masterful; exceptional.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: slang

Examples

  • That was a wicked guitar solo, bro!

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: awesome, bad, cool, dope, excellent, far out, groovy, hot, rad, ace, admirable, amazing, awe-inspiring, badass, bang on, bang-up, studly, based, beatific, beneship, bitching, blissful, bomb, brilliant, bully, celestial, cher, choice, chronic, chur, cock on, commendable, copacetic, crackerjack, cushty, dank, def, delightful, divine, epic, exceptional, exemplary, exquisite, extraordinary, fab, fabulous, fantabulosa, fantastic, fierce, finger-lickin' good, fire, fireball, first-rate, fly, frabjous, glorious, gnarly, goated, great, grouse, heavenlike, heavenly, immaculate, impeccable, incredible, kick-ass, kicking, killer, lash, lautitious, lit, magnificent, marvelous, nang, outstanding, out of sight, phat, peak, peng, phenomenal, pog, poggers, priceless, pukka, quality, radical, remarkable, rum, sensational, sick, slap-up, slick, spectacular, spiffing, splendid, spot on, stellar, sterling, stunning, super, superb, superior, sweet, swell, terrific, tight, top, top-drawer, top-hole, top-notch, top-of-the-range, top-shelf, topping, tubular, tuff, well-done, wicked, wicked pissah, wonderful, worldie

Antonyms: none provided

4

adj

Meaning 4

Having a wick.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Examples

  • a two-wicked lamp

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

adj

Meaning 5

Active; brisk.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: UK, dialectal, obsolete

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

adj

Meaning 6

Infested with maggots.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: UK, Yorkshire, dialectal

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

adj

Meaning 7

Alternative form of wick, as applying to inanimate objects only.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: alt-of, alternative

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

adv

Meaning 8

To a superlative extent, very, extremely

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Boston, Scotland, archaic, especially, not-comparable, slang

Examples

  • I didn't really wanna go see On Golden Pond with the fam, but my mom made me go, and I must say that in retrospect it was a wicked expressive film, with a lot of significant meaning.
  • The band we went to see the other night was pissah, and they were wicked loud!

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: above a bit, absolutely, sorely, bone, abundantly, all too, but good, completely, damn, eminently, ever so, exceedingly, excessively, extremely, flipping, freaking, fucking, greatly, highly, in spades, jolly, main, mightily, murrain, passing, positively, pretty, quite, really, right, simply, somewhat, sore, specially, strongly, swith, truly, vastly, very, very much, way, way too, wicked, wickedly

Antonyms: none provided

9

noun

Meaning 9

Wicked (evil) people collectively.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: plural, plural-only

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

10

verb

Meaning 10

simple past and past participle of wick

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: form-of, participle, past

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

11

adjective

Meaning 11

morally bad in principle or practice

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: virtuous

12

adjective satellite

Meaning 12

intensely or extremely bad or unpleasant in degree or quality

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • severe pain
  • a severe case of flu
  • a terrible cough
  • under wicked fire from the enemy's guns
  • a wicked cough

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: severe, terrible

Antonyms: none provided

13

adjective satellite

Meaning 13

highly offensive; arousing aversion or disgust

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a disgusting smell
  • distasteful language
  • a loathsome disease
  • the idea of eating meat is repellent to me
  • revolting food
  • a wicked stench

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: disgusting, disgustful, distasteful, foul, loathly, loathsome, repellent, repellant, repelling, revolting, skanky, yucky

Antonyms: none provided

14

adjective satellite

Meaning 14

having committed unrighteous acts

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a sinful person

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: sinful, unholy

Antonyms: none provided

15

adjective satellite

Meaning 15

naughtily or annoyingly playful

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • teasing and worrying with impish laughter
  • a wicked prank

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: arch, impish, implike, mischievous, pixilated, prankish, puckish

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Middle English wicked, wikked, an alteration of Middle English wicke, wikke (“morally perverse, evil, wicked”). Of uncertain origin. Possibly from an adjectival use of Old English wiċċa (“wizard, sorcerer”), from Proto-West Germanic *wikkō (“necromancer, sorcerer”), though the phonology makes this theory difficult to explain. Alternatively, perhaps related to English wicker, Old Norse víkja (“to bend to, yield, turn, move”), Swedish vika (“to bend, fold, give way to”), English weak. The "excellent, awesome" sense is an ameliorative semantic shift from the original sense of "evil, mischievous". Compare similar semantic development in terrific and sick.

See wick.

Across languages

Translations

143 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Albanian: lig — evil or mischievous
  • Albanian: keq — evil or mischievous
  • Arabic: شِرِير (širīr) — evil or mischievous
  • Arabic: شرير (šarīr) — evil or mischievous
  • Armenian: չար (čʻar) — evil or mischievous
  • Bulgarian: лош (loš) — evil or mischievous
  • Bulgarian: зъл (zǎl) — evil or mischievous
  • Bulgarian: порочен (poročen) — evil or mischievous
  • Catalan: dolent — evil or mischievous
  • Cebuano: payter — evil or mischievous
  • Chinese Mandarin: 邪惡 /邪恶 (xié'è) — evil or mischievous
  • Chinese Mandarin: 調皮 /调皮 (tiáopí) — evil or mischievous
  • Maore Comorian: -a peu — evil or mischievous
  • Maore Comorian: -ovu — evil or mischievous
  • Ngazidja Comorian: -a peu — evil or mischievous
  • Coptic: ϩⲟⲟⲩ (hoou) — evil or mischievous
  • Czech: podlý — evil or mischievous
  • Danish: syndig — evil or mischievous
  • Dutch: kwaadaardig — evil or mischievous
  • Dutch: slecht — evil or mischievous
  • Egyptian: Dw-w-G36 (ḏw) — evil or mischievous
  • Esperanto: malafabla — evil or mischievous
  • Esperanto: pekema — evil or mischievous
  • Finnish: ilkeä — evil or mischievous
  • Finnish: häijy — evil or mischievous
  • Finnish: paha — evil or mischievous
  • Finnish: pahanilkinen — evil or mischievous
  • French: méchant — evil or mischievous
  • West-Frisian: glûpsk — evil or mischievous
  • Friulian: cjâtif — evil or mischievous
  • Friulian: trist — evil or mischievous
  • German: böse — evil or mischievous
  • German: sündhaft — evil or mischievous
  • German: schlecht — evil or mischievous
  • German: schlimm — evil or mischievous
  • German: bösartig — evil or mischievous
  • German: boshaft — evil or mischievous
  • German: übel — evil or mischievous
  • Greek: κακός (kakós) — evil or mischievous
  • Ancient Greek: πονηρός (ponērós) — evil or mischievous
  • Ancient Greek: ἀλιτρός (alitrós) — evil or mischievous
  • Hebrew: רָשָׁע (rashá') — evil or mischievous
  • Hindi: दुराचारी (durācārī) — evil or mischievous
  • Hungarian: gonosz — evil or mischievous
  • Italian: malvagio — evil or mischievous
  • Italian: cattivo — evil or mischievous
  • Italian: diabolico — evil or mischievous
  • Italian: perverso — evil or mischievous
  • Italian: nefasto — evil or mischievous
  • Italian: maligno — evil or mischievous
  • Japanese: 邪悪 (jaaku) — evil or mischievous
  • Japanese: 意地悪い (ijiwarui) — evil or mischievous
  • Japanese: 腕白 (wanpaku) — evil or mischievous
  • Korean: 나쁘다 (nappeuda) — evil or mischievous
  • Latin: malus — evil or mischievous
  • Latvian: ļauns — evil or mischievous
  • Macedonian: зло́бен (zlóben) — evil or mischievous
  • Macedonian: зол (zol) — evil or mischievous
  • Macedonian: по́рочен (póročen) — evil or mischievous
  • Māori: kino — evil or mischievous
  • Māori: kikino — evil or mischievous
  • Persian: شرور (šarur) — evil or mischievous
  • Plautdietsch: bees — evil or mischievous
  • Plautdietsch: iebel — evil or mischievous
  • Plautdietsch: gottlooss — evil or mischievous
  • Polish: nikczemny — evil or mischievous
  • Polish: podły — evil or mischievous
  • Polish: wredny — evil or mischievous
  • Portuguese: mau — evil or mischievous
  • Portuguese: malvado — evil or mischievous
  • Portuguese: bárbaro — evil or mischievous
  • Romanian: rău — evil or mischievous
  • Romanian: răutăcios — evil or mischievous
  • Romanian: hain — evil or mischievous
  • Russian: злой (zloj) — evil or mischievous
  • Russian: зло́бный (zlóbnyj) — evil or mischievous
  • Russian: озорно́й (ozornój) — evil or mischievous
  • Russian: по́длый (pódlyj) — evil or mischievous
  • Sanskrit: अघ (agha) — evil or mischievous
  • Sanskrit: दुर्जन (durjana) — evil or mischievous
  • Scottish Gaelic: olc — evil or mischievous
  • Scottish Gaelic: meallta — evil or mischievous
  • Sicilian: tintu — evil or mischievous
  • Spanish: malvado — evil or mischievous
  • Spanish: avieso — evil or mischievous
  • Swahili: -baya — evil or mischievous
  • Swedish: elak — evil or mischievous
  • Swedish: syndig — evil or mischievous
  • Tachawit: abcaɛ — evil or mischievous
  • Thai: ชั่วร้าย (chûua-ráai) — evil or mischievous
  • Tocharian B: yolo — evil or mischievous
  • Tok Pisin: nogut — evil or mischievous
  • Turkish: lanetli — evil or mischievous
  • Turkish: uğursuz — evil or mischievous
  • Ottoman Turkish: یامان (yaman) — evil or mischievous
  • Yiddish: שלעכט (shlekht) — evil or mischievous
  • Chinese Mandarin: 棒 (bàng) — slang: awesome
  • Chinese Mandarin: 了不起 (liǎobuqǐ) — slang: awesome
  • Chinese Mandarin: 酷 (kù) — slang: awesome
  • Czech: hustý — slang: awesome
  • Danish: fedt — slang: awesome
  • Finnish: siisti — slang: awesome
  • Finnish: paha — slang: awesome
  • Finnish: pähee — slang: awesome
  • French: génial — slang: awesome
  • French: sensass — slang: awesome
  • French: super — slang: awesome
  • French: mortel — slang: awesome
  • French: chanmé — slang: awesome
  • German: super — slang: awesome
  • German: genial — slang: awesome
  • German: toll — slang: awesome
  • German: geil — slang: awesome
  • Greek: γαμάτος (gamátos) — slang: awesome
  • Greek: φοβερός (foverós) — slang: awesome
  • Italian: diabolico — slang: awesome
  • Italian: fantastico — slang: awesome
  • Italian: figo — slang: awesome
  • Japanese: 素晴らしい (subarashii) — slang: awesome
  • Japanese: 素敵 (suteki) — slang: awesome
  • Japanese: 凄い (sugoi) — slang: awesome
  • Macedonian: јак (jak) — slang: awesome
  • Portuguese: legal — slang: awesome
  • Portuguese: da hora — slang: awesome
  • Portuguese: muito louco — slang: awesome
  • Russian: потряса́ющий (potrjasájuščij) — slang: awesome
  • Russian: круто́й (krutój) — slang: awesome
  • Russian: кла́ссный (klássnyj) — slang: awesome
  • Russian: клёвый (kljóvyj) — slang: awesome
  • Spanish: asombroso — slang: awesome
  • Spanish: bacán — slang: awesome
  • Swedish: grym — slang: awesome
  • Swedish: fet — slang: awesome
  • Thai: เจ๋ง (jěng) — slang: awesome
  • Czech: děsně — slang: very
  • Finnish: pirun — slang: very
  • Finnish: vähän — slang: very
  • French: trop — slang: very
  • French: diablement — slang: very
  • Italian: maledettamente — slang: very
  • Spanish: muy — slang: very
  • Swedish: grymt — slang: very
  • Swedish: fett — slang: very
Real reading context

wicked in complete knowledge articles

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