What's the difference between nefarious and vicious?

Nefarious


Definition:

  • (adv.) Wicked in the extreme; abominable; iniquitous; atrociously villainous; execrable; detestably vile.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) The author of the new bill, Mike Rogers, the Republican chair of the House intelligence committee , has said it is aimed at tracking the nefarious activities of hackers, terrorists and foreign states, especially China.
  • (2) But remember: record companies can be callous and nefarious beasts."
  • (3) "If there is evidence that a particular American is involved in terrorism or other nefarious activity, then intelligence and law enforcement agencies should absolutely investigate that person aggressively, by showing that evidence to a judge and getting a warrant.
  • (4) For decades she’s been portrayed as a Lady Macbeth involved in nefarious plots, branded as “a congenital liar” and accused of covering up her husband’s misconduct, from Arkansas to Monica Lewinsky.
  • (5) In the fevered Daily Mail version, this fact suggests a nefarious and hyperactive court, up to mischief and rejoicing in 'overruling' national authorities, better to promote the interests of sex offenders and the homicidal.
  • (6) The talks came as the RAF dropped "precision" weapons on the Central Organisation for Electronic Research, described by the Ministry of Defence as "a cover for the regime's nefarious activities".
  • (7) Muscular dysfunction has a nefarious effect on subsequent facial growth.
  • (8) Thor: The Dark World sees Chris Hemsworth's Asgardian prince forced to team up with Tom Hiddleston's crafty Loki to take down an even greater threat, Christopher Eccleston's nefarious Malekith.
  • (9) A few minutes’ walks away, are the Catacumbas del Beaterio , part of a network of tunnels used for nefarious and religious purposes: short tours began last year.
  • (10) The optional measure was designed to “provide DHS greater clarity and visibility to possible nefarious activity and connections by providing an additional tool set which analysts and investigators may use”.
  • (11) Pushkov claimed Moscow and the EU were looking to solve the gas dispute between Russia and Ukraine but were being stymied by Washington's nefarious plans.
  • (12) Meanwhile, Donald Trump appeared to accuse Obama of harbouring a nefarious secret agenda on national security, linking the president to the mass shooting.
  • (13) Look, he’s the clear frontrunner, he’s been in six debates already, answered more questions from the media than any other candidate on the stage combined.” The Fox News press release that irked Trump and led to his withdrawal read: “We learned from a secret back channel that the Ayatollah and Putin both intend to treat Donald Trump unfairly when they meet with him if he becomes president – a nefarious source tells us that Trump has his own secret plan to replace the Cabinet with his Twitter followers to see if he should even go to those meetings.” Trump derided it as “a wise guy press release .
  • (14) Until recently Bitcoin had been a largely obscure currency used by the tech-savvy , libertarians wishing to thumb their noses at central bankers and people involved in more nefarious activities such as online gambling (often illegal in the US) or drug deals .
  • (15) Time was one would head to that area whenever a nefarious local had gone missing because, in time, the body would wash up in the River Lee.
  • (16) It also warned that “the conviction and detention of an individual for being in a declared area where no evidence has been provided of a nefarious intent could be arbitrary for the purposes of international human rights law”.
  • (17) Naturally, such features can be used for nefarious ends too, but Taaki says that's the price to be paid for freedom.
  • (18) While I’m not interested in a specific individual, I’m interested in the emergent behaviour of the crowd.” Facebook Twitter Pinterest City-simulation company Simudyne creates computerised models ‘with pretty pictures’ to aid disaster-response planning But what about more nefarious bodies who are interested in specific individuals?
  • (19) Via nefarious means I've watched two episodes of Lilyhammer , BBC4's brand new "not very good thing with subtitles we're hoping to keep The Killing audience enraptured with", where a New York mob boss (Steven Van Zandt) goes into hiding in Norway with hilarious results.
  • (20) We all know about the military uses of drones (bomb lots of people, surveillance), and how drones can be used for nefarious purposes (theft, voyeurism), but there are actually some pretty cool uses for drones too.

Vicious


Definition:

  • (a.) Characterized by vice or defects; defective; faulty; imperfect.
  • (a.) Addicted to vice; corrupt in principles or conduct; depraved; wicked; as, vicious children; vicious examples; vicious conduct.
  • (a.) Wanting purity; foul; bad; noxious; as, vicious air, water, etc.
  • (a.) Not correct or pure; corrupt; as, vicious language; vicious idioms.
  • (a.) Not well tamed or broken; given to bad tricks; unruly; refractory; as, a vicious horse.
  • (a.) Bitter; spiteful; malignant.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) Los Angeles were relentless in their vicious pursuit of a game-tying goal on Wednesday, bidding to send Game 4 into overtime.
  • (2) But when in mid-October two of the artists received death threats, the menaces were widely reported and rekindled debate, prompting vicious, anti-Muslim comments on Danish talk shows.
  • (3) When he attacked New York, his vicious crusade was as much against skyscrapers as it was against western values and the US.
  • (4) A vicious feud playing out within Uzbekistan's ruling family took a new twist on Monday , when prosecutors announced that the clan's most flamboyant member faces charges of involvement in mafia-style corruption.
  • (5) This was evident just this week when, as an example, a young woman in San Francisco was viciously killed by a five-time deported Mexican with a long criminal record, who was forced back into the United States because they didn’t want him in Mexico.
  • (6) Each of these reactions can increase the perception of chest pain, contributing to a vicious cycle that exacerbates both the chest pain and the anxiety.
  • (7) This vicious circle should be broken rather by finding optimal conditions than by a middle course determined by experimental requirements, economical frames and general notions about what may be good for the animal.
  • (8) In spite of the relatively large sample and the given number of variables the problem of the vicious circle might occur.
  • (9) Recent data are cited for the proposition that these changes constitute a closed pathogenetic concatenation creating a vicious circle.
  • (10) When there is upheaval within China’s own borders – riots, protests, vicious political power struggles – hardly a sniff of it will be found in the pages of the country’s heavily-controlled press.
  • (11) According to the International Crisis Group , tensions within and between the two major political parties, competing claims to the presidency between northern and Niger Delta politicians and along religious lines, along with inadequate preparations by the electoral commission and apparent bias by security agencies, suggest the country is heading toward a volatile and vicious electoral contest.
  • (12) A vicious circle with the increased resistance as the key factor can be identified.
  • (13) This vicious cycle could be interrupted by segmental epidural anesthesia with procaine as well as by blockade of sympathoexcitation at the central nervous level with clonidine in anesthetized dogs.
  • (14) This is in stark comparison to the gruesome, vicious suffering that he inflicted on his two victims – and the lifetime of suffering he has caused their family.” Wood was executed for shooting to death Debra Dietz, his former girlfriend, and her father, Eugene Dietz, in Tucson in 1989.
  • (15) Spicer, who so viciously attacked the press on Saturday, had to hurriedly walk back the comments of his boss when Trump, during an interview with the Washington Post before the inauguration, promised “insurance for everybody”.
  • (16) Using mathematical models of the population dynamics of T helper cells, HIV and other pathogens we address three facets of the interactions between HIV and other pathogens: enhanced HIV replication due to immune stimulation by other pathogens; modified immune control of other pathogens due to immunosuppression by HIV; and the vicious circle formed by positive feedback between these two effects.
  • (17) Since the initially peaceful demonstrations against his regime began more than three years ago, he has proved himself, by turns, foolish, craven and vicious.
  • (18) He said US prisons were tough and safe enough to handle the most vicious al-Qaida terrorist suspects now held at Guantánamo.
  • (19) When Cruise announced last October that he was suing Bauer, his lawyer, Bert Fields, described the claim that the actor had deserted his daughter as a “vicious lie”.
  • (20) Meanwhile, people in poor countries are already battling its vicious storms.