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Webster 1913 Edition

Wicked

Wicked

(wĭkt)
,
Adj.
Having a wick; – used chiefly in composition;
as, a two-
wicked
lamp
.

Wick′ed

(wĭk′ĕd)
,
Adj.
[OE.
wicked
, fr.
wicke
wicked; probably originally the same word as
wicche
wizard, witch. See
Witch
.]
1.
Evil in principle or practice; deviating from morality; contrary to the moral or divine law; addicted to vice or sin; sinful; immoral; profligate; – said of persons and things;
as, a
wicked
king; a
wicked
woman; a
wicked
deed;
wicked
designs.
Hence, then, and evil go with thee along,
Thy offspring, to the place of evil, hell,
Thou and thy
wicked
crew!
Milton.
Never, never,
wicked
man was wise.
Pope.
2.
Cursed; baneful; hurtful; bad; pernicious; dangerous.
[Obs.]
“Wicked dew.”
Shak.
This were a
wicked
way, but whoso had a guide.
P. Plowman.
3.
Ludicrously or sportively mischievous; disposed to mischief; roguish.
[Colloq.]
Pen looked uncommonly
wicked
.
Thackeray.
Syn. – Iniquitous; sinful; criminal; guilty; immoral; unjust; unrighteous; unholy; irreligious; ungodly; profane; vicious; pernicious; atrocious; nefarious; heinous; flagrant; flagitious; abandoned. See
Iniquitous
.

Webster 1828 Edition

Wicked

WICKED

,
Adj.
[The primary sense is to wind and turn, or to depart, to fall away.]
1.
Evil in principle or practice; deviating from the divine law; addicted to vice; sinful; immoral. This is a word of comprehensive signification, extending to every thing that is contrary to the moral law, and both to persons and actions. We say, a wicked man, a wicked deed, wicked ways, wicked lives, a wicked heart, wicked designs, wicked works.
No man was ever wicked without secret discontent.
2.
A word of slight blame; as the wicked urchin.
3.
Cursed; baneful; pernicious; as wicked words, words pernicious in their efforts.
[This last signification may throw some light on the word witch.]
The wicked, in Scripture, persons who live in sin; transgressors of the divine law; all who are unreconciled to God, unsanctified or impenitent.

Definition 2024

wicked

wicked

English

Pronunciation

  • enPR: wĭkʹĭd, IPA(key): /ˈwɪkɪd/

Adjective

wicked ‎(comparative wickeder or more wicked, superlative wickedest or most wicked)

  1. Evil or mischievous by nature.
    • 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 6, in The China Governess:
      ‘[…] I remember a lady coming to inspect St. Mary's Home where I was brought up and seeing us all in our lovely Elizabethan uniforms we were so proud of, and bursting into tears all over us because “it was wicked to dress us like charity children”. […]’.
  2. (slang) Excellent; awesome; masterful; deeply satisfying.
    That was a wicked guitar solo, bro!‎
Usage notes
  • Nouns to which "wicked" is often applied: witch, person, man, woman, angel, deed, act, pleasure, delight, game, way, night, word.
Synonyms
Derived terms
Translations

Adverb

wicked ‎(not comparable)

  1. (slang, New England, Britain) Very, extremely.
    The band we went to see the other night was wicked loud!
Synonyms
Translations

Noun

wicked pl ‎(plural only)

  1. (usually humorous) People who are wicked.[1]
Translations

Etymology 2

See wick

Pronunciation

  • enPR: wĭkt, IPA(key): /wɪkt/

Verb

wicked

  1. simple past tense and past participle of wick

Adjective

wicked ‎(not comparable)

  1. Having a wick.
    a two-wicked lamp
  2. (Britain, dialect, chiefly Yorkshire) Infested with maggots.

References

  1. ↑ wicked as a noun in the Oxford dictionary

Etymology

1225-75 Middle English wikked, wikke, an alteration of wicke, adjectival use of Old English wicca ‎(“wizard, sorcerer”), from Proto-Germanic *wikkô ‎(“necromancer, sorcerer”).

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