vile

/vaɪ(ə)l/

vile adjective: morally low; base; despicable.

Adjective

vile (comparative viler or more vile, superlative vilest or most vile)

Morally low; base; despicable.
- vile accusation
- vile man
Causing physical or mental repulsion; horrid; disgusting.
- I glimpsed a vile squid-like creature in the depths.
- The medicine had a vile taste and smell.

Noun

vile (uncountable)

That which is vile; vileness.
- “I had seen those two work before—in the smoking-room the day prior to their attack on you, if I recollect it correctly, and so, knowing their methods, I am convinced that their enmity is a sufficient guarantee of the integrity of its object. Men such as they must cleave only to the vile, hating...1913 June–December, Edgar Rice Burroughs, “Forging Bonds of Hate and ——?”, in The Return of Tarzan, New York, N.Y.: A[lbert] L[evi] Burt Company, […], published March 1915, →OCLC, pages 26–27
Synonyms:

base, despicable, mean, ignoble, inappropriate

vile meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Urdu and Telugu

vile in Hindi

vile, wretched, base: कुत्सित kutsit
vile, horrible, evil-minded: गंदा gandā
vile: कूर kūr

vile in Tamil

இழிந்த, மதிப்பற்ற, வெறுக்க்த தக்க

vile in Urdu

vile, wicked: گندہ ganda

vile in Telugu

vile, base: చిల్లర cillara

More languagesFewer languages

vile in Malayalam: ഹീനമായ, അശുദ്ധമായ
vile in Kannada: ಕೆಟ್ಟ, ಕೂಳ, ಕೂಳೆ, ದುಷ್ಟ
vile in Odia: ନ୍ୟୂନ nyuna
vile in Sanskrit: रिप्र riprá, मलिन malina, कच्चर kaccara, टुण्टुक ṭuṇṭuka
vile in Arabic: وضيع waḍyʕ

Examples of vile in a sentence

We can't go out in this vile weather.
In it we shall find a stronger bondage broken, a viler slavery manumitted, a greater tyrant deposed; in it, more of want supplied, more disease healed, more sorrow assuaged.1842 February 22, Abraham Lincoln, “Address Before the Springfield Washingtonian Temperance Society”, in Arthur Brooks Lapsley, editor, The...
The parties stooped to vile and unbecoming meannesses; infinite briberies, forgeries, perjuries, and all manners of debauchings of the principles and manners of the electors were attempted.1870, William Minto, “Daniel Defoe”, in Acme Library of Standard Biography:
People crave human decency, warmth, and sincerity even in the vilest of circumstances…2020 January 1, “Cultivating Myself Well and Helping People to Understand the Truth about Falun Dafa”, in Minghui:
The sailors expected me to be sick, but I stood up to it like a seasoned salt, although the food was the vilest I have ever tasted, and that’s saying a lot.1933, Frank Clune, Try Anything Once, Sydney: Angus and Robertson, page 38:

All 40 example sentences with vile

Synonyms of vile

All synonyms of vile

Forms of vile

comparative	viler
comparative	more vile
superlative	vilest
superlative	most vile

Origin of vile

From Middle English vile, vyle, vyl, from Anglo-Norman ville, Old French vil, vile, from Latin vīlis.

Words formed from vile

Phrases with vile

Words that rhyme with vile

48 more rhymesFewer rhymes

Questions about vile

What does vile mean?: Vile means morally low; base; despicable.
What is vile in Hindi?: Vile in Hindi is कुत्सित (kutsit), गंदा (gandā), कूर (kūr). See Vile meaning in Hindi.
How do you use vile in a sentence?: We can't go out in this vile weather.
What part of speech is vile?: Vile can be an adjective or a noun.
How do you pronounce vile?: Vile is pronounced /vaɪ(ə)l/.

Words near vile in the dictionary

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-us-vial.ogg.

Cite this entry: “vile.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/vile. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.