Vile

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /vaɪ(ə)l/

Definitions

1. Being morally corrupt or evil; causing strong disgust or offense
2. Characterized by evil intentions or actions; provoking intense dislike by unpleasant qualities
3. Having reprehensible moral qualities; arousing revulsion due to harsh or disagreeable nature

Etymology: The adjective "vile" arrived in English in the Middle Ages, borrowed through Anglo-Norman "ville" from Old French "vil", which came from Latin "vīlis". The Latin original meant cheap, worthless or common, and that sense of low value is the thread that runs through the word's history. Something of little price was held in little regard, and in time the judgment shifted from the object's worth to the character of the thing itself. That moral shift is what gives the word its modern force. What began as a comment on cost became a comment on quality, and then on conduct, so that a vile act is now one that deserves contempt rather than merely one that is inexpensive or ordinary. The Latin root also gave English "vilify", meaning to speak of someone as worthless, which keeps the older sense of disparagement alive in a verb.

Synonyms: wicked, evil, depraved, reprehensible, abominable

Antonyms: noble, virtuous, good, commendable, excellent