wicked

Meanings

1. 1adjectivecomparable

   Morally bad and deliberately harmful; wrong in a way that shows cruelty or evil intent.

   Grammar: Used before a noun or after a verb: a wicked plan, that was wicked.

   Patterns

   • a wicked person
   • a wicked deed

   The wicked queen in the story tried to poison her stepdaughter.

   It was a wicked lie that ruined his reputation.

   Stealing from the poor was a wicked thing to do.

2. 2adjectivecomparablehumorous

   Playfully naughty or mischievous in a way that is amusing rather than harmful.

   Grammar: Often describes humor or a smile: a wicked grin.

   Patterns

   • a wicked sense of humor
   • a wicked grin

   He has a wicked sense of humor that makes everyone laugh.

   She flashed a wicked grin before telling the secret.

   The chocolate dessert was wickedly good, a wicked treat.

3. 3adjectivecomparableslang

   Extremely good or impressive; used by young people as strong praise.

   Grammar: Slang and positive: a wicked guitar solo.

   Patterns

   • a wicked something

   That skateboard trick was wicked!

   They played a wicked set at the festival.

   Her new car is wicked.

4. 4adverbnot comparableinformalregional

   Very or extremely, placed before an adjective, especially in New England speech.

   Grammar: Informal intensifier before an adjective: wicked cold.

   Patterns

   • wicked + adjective

   It was wicked cold when we left Boston this morning.

   The test was wicked hard.

   That pizza was wicked good.

Word forms

Common combinations

wicked witch

The wicked witch cackled in the old fairy tale.

wicked sense of humor

My uncle has a wicked sense of humor.

wicked grin

A wicked grin spread across her face.

wicked problem

Climate change is a wicked problem with no simple fix.

wicked temper

The captain had a wicked temper when angered.

Synonyms and how they differ

evil

Evil is stronger and suggests deep, absolute badness, while wicked often sounds more storybook-like and can also be playful.

villainous

Villainous links the badness to being a villain in a story or crime, so it is more dramatic than wicked.

naughty

Naughty is used for mild misbehavior, especially by children, so it is far lighter than the moral sense of wicked.

cool

Cool is the ordinary informal praise word and also works in neutral situations, while wicked as praise is rather youthful slang.

Opposites

Word family

wickedly adverb

in an evil or mischievous way

wickedness noun

evil behavior or the quality of being evil

wick noun

the cord in a candle or lamp, an unrelated word sharing the first letters

Commonly confused: wicked or wicker?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “wicked”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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