Basic Details
Word: Wicked
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Very bad and cruel on purpose, the way a villain in a story behaves. Used lightly, it can also mean naughty in a playful way, as in a wicked grin.
Synonyms: evil, cruel, sinful
Antonyms: good, kind, virtuous
How to Spell Wicked
Syllables: wick - ed
Tricky part: The k sound is spelt ck, never k or kk. The ending is said like id, which tempts students to write wickid.
Watch out for: wickid, wikked, wiked
Memory tip: A wicked witch keeps a candle wick in her cauldron: write wick first, then add ed.
Idioms and Phrases
- no rest for the wicked: said, usually as a joke, when someone has to keep working without a break Example: "Mum sighed, 'No rest for the wicked,' and went back to marking test papers."
Usage Examples
Example 1: The wicked queen in the play wore a black cape and a glittering crown.
Example 2: My brother gave a wicked grin when he hid my cricket bat.
Example 3: It is wicked to tease a stray dog by throwing stones at it.
Fun Fact
In informal British English, wicked can also mean excellent, so a teenager who calls a film wicked is praising it.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word wicked as used in the sentence:
The wicked landlord threw the family out of their home in the middle of the monsoon.
a) generous
b) timid
c) cruel
d) careless
Show answer
c) cruel. Throwing a family out in heavy rain is deliberately heartless, which is what cruel means.
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
wickked
a) c
b) e
c) k
d) d
Show answer
c) k. The ck already makes the k sound, so a second k is one letter too many.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters in the sentence to form a meaningful word:
The dkciew stepmother locked Cinderella in the attic.
a) wicked
b) tricked
c) wrecked
d) wicker
Show answer
a) wicked. Wicker, wrecked and tricked each need an r, and the jumble has none.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which character in a story is most likely to be called wicked?
a) a farmer who shares grain
b) a witch who poisons apples
c) a boy who helps a neighbour
d) a doctor who treats the poor
Show answer
b) a witch who poisons apples
2. A wicked grin on a friend's face usually suggests ____.
a) deep sadness
b) complete boredom
c) sudden illness
d) playful mischief
Show answer
d) playful mischief
