vile

[vahyl] /vaɪl/
adjective, viler, vilest.
1.
wretchedly bad:
a vile humor.
2.
highly offensive, unpleasant, or objectionable:
vile slander.
3.
repulsive or disgusting, as to the senses or feelings:
a vile odor.
4.
morally debased, depraved, or despicable:
vile deeds.
5.
foul; filthy:
vile language.
6.
poor; wretched:
vile workmanship.
7.
of mean or low condition:
a vile beggar.
8.
menial; lowly:
vile tasks.
9.
degraded; ignominious:
vile servitude.
10.
of little value or account; paltry:
a vile recompense.
Origin
1250-1300; Middle English vil < Old French < Latin vīlis of little worth, base, cheap
Related forms
vilely, adverb
vileness, noun
Can be confused
vial, vile, viol.
Synonyms
1. See mean2 . 3. repellent. 4. vicious, evil, iniquitous. 5. vulgar, obscene. 9, 10. contemptible. 10. trivial, trifling.
Antonyms
1. good. 4. elevated.
Examples from the web for vile
  • The word is a catch-all for every vile behavior humankind can muster.
  • They may grow in places difficult to approach, they may look unappetizing, or they may evolve vile smells.
  • As my own spirits declined, along with the pig's, the spirits of my vile old dachshund rose.
  • Yet the problem with cod liver oil remained its vile, nauseating, oily quality and taste.
  • And despite the preponderance of vileness, not all are vile.
  • All of us can feel and have felt this tug toward what is vile, and have yielded to it in varying degrees.
  • Her campaign was vile, unmitigatedly celebratory of every necessary evil and contemptuous of every unnecessary value.
  • Despite how vile some of it sounds it doesn't bug me, unless actual violence occurs.
  • It is happening and to simply walk away now would be a crime even more vile than going in in the first place.
  • They are vile creatures, he thought, with the character of kulaks.
British Dictionary definitions for vile

vile

/vaɪl/
adjective
1.
abominably wicked; shameful or evil: the vile development of slavery appalled them
2.
morally despicable; ignoble: vile accusations
3.
disgusting to the senses or emotions; foul: a vile smell, vile epithets
4.
tending to humiliate or degrade: only slaves would perform such vile tasks
5.
unpleasant or bad: vile weather
6.
paltry: a vile reward
Derived Forms
vilely, adverb
vileness, noun
Word Origin
C13: from Old French vil, from Latin vīlis cheap
Word Origin and History for vile
adj.

early 13c. (implied in vilety), from Anglo-French and Old French vile, from Latin vilis "cheap, worthless, base, common," of unknown origin. Related: Vilely.