Hypocrisy is the homage that vice pays to virtue.
Source: tatoeba (20061)
Vice
Synonyms for "vice" (168 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (34)
Strong matches (50)
degeneracydegradationdelinquencydepravitydeputydiscourtesydisorderdisorderlinessdisorderly conductdisruptiondisruptivenessdummyevilevil coursesevil natureevildoingexecutive officerexponentfailingfailure
Show 18 more words
faultfeloniousnessfigureheadflawfoibleforfrailfrailtyfrowned-upon behaviorhooliganismhorseplayillimmoralityimperfectionimproprietyimpurityin behalf ofin lieu of
Noun(11 words)
Adjective(1 words)
immoral habit
Related words (84)
in place ofin preference toindecencyinfirmityiniquitylapselawbreakinglicentiousnesslieutenantlocumlocum tenensmalfeasancemalpracticemalversationmisbehaviormisconductmisdemeanormisdoingmisfeasancemisprision
Show 54 more words
misprision of treasonmoral flawnaughtinessnonsanctioned behavioron behalf ofparanymphperversionpinch hitterpleaderpositive misprisionprocuratorprodigalityprofligacyprostitutionproxyrecidivismreplacingrepresentativerotroughhouserowdinessrowdyismruffianismsecond in commandsecondaryshortcomingsinsinfulnesssqualorstand instand-insubstitutesurrogatethou scarlet sintransgressionunchastityunderstudyungodlinessutility manvandalismvenalityvenial sinvicarvicar generalvicegerentviciousnessvillainyweak pointweak sideweaknesswickednesswrongwrong conductwrongdoing
Noun(10 words)
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: advocate, alter ego, alternate, amicus curiae, amorality.
- Sentence evidence is available for vice, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from moby, derived_reverse, opengloss, wordnet, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "vice".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "vice"
Keep "vice" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "vice" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "vice", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "vice" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
9 entriesMore specific
10 entriesCollocations
8 entrieshabitual vicemoral viceprivate vicevice chairvice mayorvice presidentvice principalvice versa
Inflections
1 entriesTranslations
90 translations across 48 languages.
Albanian
1 entries- ves noun (bad habit)
Ancient Greek
1 entries- ἐλάττωμα noun (bad habit)
Arabic
1 entries- رَذِيلَة noun (bad habit)
Belarusian
3 entries- зага́на noun (bad habit)
- няцно́та noun (bad habit)
- паро́к noun (bad habit)
Bulgarian
1 entries- поро́к noun (bad habit)
Catalan
1 entries- vici noun (bad habit)
Chinese Mandarin
1 entries- 惡習 /恶习 noun (bad habit)
Church Slavic
1 entries- порокъ noun (bad habit)
Czech
3 entries- neřest noun (bad habit)
- nešvar noun (bad habit)
- zlozvyk noun (bad habit)
Danish
3 entries- dårlig vane noun (bad habit)
- last noun (bad habit)
- uvane noun (bad habit)
Dutch
3 entries- ondeugd noun (bad habit)
- verdorvenheid noun (bad habit)
- zonde noun (bad habit)
Esperanto
1 entries- malvirto noun (bad habit)
Finnish
1 entries- pahe noun (bad habit)
French
1 entries- vice noun (bad habit)
Galician
3 entries- obenza noun (bad habit)
- vezo noun (bad habit)
- vicio noun (bad habit)
Georgian
4 entries- ზადი noun (bad habit)
- მანკი noun (bad habit)
- ნაკლი noun (bad habit)
- წუნი noun (bad habit)
German
3 entries- Laster noun (bad habit)
- Lasterhaftigkeit noun (bad habit)
- Untugend noun (bad habit)
Greek
1 entries- ελάττωμα noun (bad habit)
Hebrew
2 entries- השחתת מידות noun (bad habit)
- עבריינות noun (bad habit)
Hungarian
2 entries- gyarlóság noun (bad habit)
- gyengeség noun (bad habit)
Ido
1 entries- vicio noun (bad habit)
Indonesian
1 entries- cela noun (bad habit)
Irish
4 entries- ainbhéas noun (bad habit)
- anlocht noun (bad habit)
- drochbhéas noun (bad habit)
- drochghnáthú noun (bad habit)
Italian
4 entries- difetto noun (bad habit)
- malvezzo noun (bad habit)
- pecca noun (bad habit)
- vizio noun (bad habit)
Japanese
1 entries- 悪習 noun (bad habit)
Kazakh
1 entries- кемістік noun (bad habit)
Korean
1 entries- 악습 noun (bad habit)
Latin
1 entries- vitium noun (bad habit)
Macedonian
1 entries- порок noun (bad habit)
Malay
1 entries- maksiat noun (bad habit)
Māori
1 entries- kino noun (bad habit)
Old English
1 entries- unþēaw noun (bad habit)
Persian
1 entries- رذیلت noun (bad habit)
Polish
4 entries- narów noun (bad habit)
- nałóg noun (bad habit)
- wada noun (bad habit)
- występek noun (bad habit)
Portuguese
2 entries- mania noun (bad habit)
- vício noun (bad habit)
Romanian
1 entries- viciu noun (bad habit)
Russian
1 entries- поро́к noun (bad habit)
Sanskrit
1 entries- व्यसन noun (bad habit)
Serbo-Croatian
4 entries- mána noun (bad habit)
- pòrok noun (bad habit)
- ма́на noun (bad habit)
- по̀рок noun (bad habit)
Slovak
3 entries- neresť noun (bad habit)
- nešvár noun (bad habit)
- zlozvyk noun (bad habit)
Slovene
2 entries- pregrešnost noun (bad habit)
- razvada noun (bad habit)
Spanish
2 entries- resabio noun (bad habit)
- vicio noun (bad habit)
Swedish
3 entries- dålig vana noun (bad habit)
- last noun (bad habit)
- ovana noun (bad habit)
Tagalog
1 entries- bisyo noun (bad habit)
Thai
1 entries- อบายมุข noun (bad habit)
Turkish
2 entries- ahlaksızlık noun (bad habit)
- fuhuş noun (bad habit)
Ukrainian
4 entries- ва́да noun (bad habit)
- нецно́та noun (bad habit)
- поро́к noun (bad habit)
- хи́ба noun (bad habit)
Volapük
1 entries- lesinod noun (bad habit)
Sample sentences
24 total sentences available.
The journalist was too upset to distinguish vice from virtue.
Source: tatoeba (20194)
Why do men behave like apes, and vice versa?
Source: tatoeba (36369)
Data can be transmitted from the main computer to yours, and vice versa.
Source: tatoeba (39650)
Showing 4 of 24 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "vice"?
Closest matches include advocate, alter ego, alternate, amicus curiae, amorality.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "vice"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.