vile

IPA/vaɪl/
KK[vˈaɪl]IPA/vaɪl/

vile — adjective

  • vilepositive
  • vilercomparative
  • vilestsuperlative

1. describing people, actions, speech, or ideas that are so evil, dishonest, or cru

1.形容詞B2
釋義

describing people, actions, speech, or ideas that are so evil, dishonest, or cruel that decent people find them shocking and completely unacceptable.

例句

Erik's vile comments about immigrants cost him his job at the radio station.

vile + comments for hateful speech

The court found Noor guilty of a vile scheme to defraud elderly people of their savings.

同義詞
  • despicable

    focuses on deserving hatred or contempt; slightly less intense than 'vile'

  • contemptible

    worthy of scorn; more formal and less emotional than 'vile'

  • abhorrent

    causes strong repulsion; often used for ideas or practices rather than people

  • depraved

    specifically about moral corruption of a person's character

反義詞
  • admirable

    worthy of respect and approval

  • noble

    showing high moral qualities and selflessness

用法筆記

Often paired with nouns describing deliberately harmful speech or behaviour, such as 'comments', 'lies', 'crime', 'act', 'scheme'. The word carries a much stronger emotional charge than 'bad' or 'unpleasant'.

常見錯誤

❌He told a vile joke that was only slightly offensive.
✅He told a vile joke that was deeply offensive and cruel.
💡'vile' describes extreme moral offensiveness, not mild rudeness.
❌The weather was vile today.
✅The weather was terrible today.
💡For unpleasant weather, use 'awful' or 'terrible'; 'vile' is reserved for moral disgust or extreme physical unpleasantness.

2. used to describe a smell, taste, sight, or physical condition that is so extreme

2.形容詞B2
釋義

used to describe a smell, taste, sight, or physical condition that is so extremely unpleasant it makes you feel sick, disgusted, or desperate to get away.

例句

A vile stench of rotten eggs and sewage rose from the drain in the bathroom.

vile + stench for extremely bad smells

Sora tried the energy drink but spat it out immediately because of its vile taste.

vile + taste for unpleasant flavours

同義詞
  • foul

    very unpleasant to the senses; roughly equal in intensity to 'vile'

  • disgusting

    causes strong dislike or nausea; more general and common than 'vile'

  • nauseating

    specifically makes you feel sick to your stomach

  • repulsive

    causes a strong desire to push away or avoid

反義詞

用法筆記

Most commonly used with nouns describing physical sensations, especially smells (smell, stench, odor) and tastes (taste, flavour). Less commonly used for sights or textures.

常見錯誤

❌The coffee tasted vile, so I had a second cup anyway.
✅The coffee tasted so vile that I could not finish it.
💡If something is 'vile', it is extremely unpleasant; the natural reaction is to avoid or reject it, not continue with it.