# wicked

Pronunciation: say "WIK-id" /ˈwɪkɪd/

## Adjective

1. Evil or mischievous by nature, or morally wrong in a way that deserves condemnation.
   - Simple: Very bad or evil, in a way that is morally wrong.
   - _The novel's wicked stepfather schemes to steal the children's inheritance._
   - _She called it the wickedest thing she had ever seen a grown man do to a child._
2. Excellent, awesome, or impressively skillful. *(slang)*
   - Simple: Really great or very cool.
   - _The drummer pulled off a wicked fill right before the final chorus._
   - _She's got a wicked sense of style, all vintage leather and bright sneakers._
4. Harsh or severe, as a biting wind or a bad storm can be.
   - Simple: Very harsh or strong, like a cold, biting wind.
   - _A wicked frost overnight killed half the tomato plants._
   - _The flu left him with a wicked cough that lasted for weeks._
6. Having a wick; mostly used in compounds that give the number or kind of wicks. (pronounced: say "WIKT" /wɪkt/)
   - Simple: Having a wick or wicks, used mostly in words like two-wicked.
   - _The shop sells triple-wicked candles that burn evenly across a wide jar._
   - _A thin-wicked taper gives a small, steady flame._

## Verb

Pronunciation: say "WIKT" /wɪkt/

5. Simple past and past participle of wick. — simple past and past participle of wick
   - Simple: Past tense and past participle of wick. Often used about cloth that has pulled water or sweat away.
   - _The cotton strip wicked water up from the saucer into the dry soil of the pot._
   - _Moisture had wicked up through the brick, staining the plaster a foot above the floor._

## Adverb

3. To a very high degree; very or extremely. *(archaic, Boston, Scotland)*
   - Simple: Very or extremely.
   - _The line at the clam shack was wicked long, but the chowder was worth it._
   - _Everyone in the dorm agreed the new professor was wicked smart._

## Adjective

7. Active and brisk. *(obsolete, UK)* (pronounced: say "WIKT" /wɪkt/)
   - Simple: Full of energy and quick.

## Other meanings

- (adjective) Infested with maggots.

## Origin

From Middle English wicked, wikked, an alteration of wicke, wikke ("morally perverse, evil"), of uncertain origin: possibly from Old English wiċċa ("wizard, sorcerer"), though the sounds make this hard to explain, or perhaps related to wicker, Old Norse víkja ("to bend, yield") and weak. The sense "excellent, awesome" is a later positive shift from "evil, mischievous", like the development of terrific and sick.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/wicked (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).