# wicked

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˈwɪkɪd/ · frequency rank #7,305

## Definitions
1. Evil or mischievous by nature; morally reprehensible.
2. Harsh; severe.
3. Excellent; awesome; masterful.

## Etymology
From Middle English wicked, wikked, an alteration of Middle English wicke, wikke (“morally perverse, evil, wicked”). Of uncertain origin. Possibly from an adjectival use of Old English wiċċa (“wizard, sorcerer”), from Proto-West Germanic *wikkō (“necromancer, sorcerer”), though the phonology makes this theory difficult to explain. Alternatively, perhaps related to English wicker, Old Norse víkja (“to bend to, yield, turn, move”), Swedish vika (“to bend, fold, give way to”), English weak.
The "excellent, awesome" sense is an ameliorative semantic shift from the original sense of "evil, mischievous". Compare similar semantic development in terrific and sick.

## Easily confused with
- **wiped** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wicked-vs-wiped)
- **wired** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wicked-vs-wired)
- **worked** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wicked-vs-worked)
- **wished** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wicked-vs-wished)
- **wicket** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wicked-vs-wicket)
- **winged** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wicked-vs-winged)
- **Wilkes** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wicked-vs-wilkes)
- **willed** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wicked-vs-willed)
- **wicker** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wicked-vs-wicker)
- **winded** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wicked-vs-winded)
- **witted** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wicked-vs-witted)
- **winked** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wicked-vs-winked)
- **wilted** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wicked-vs-wilted)
- **wrecked** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wicked-vs-wrecked)
- **wickedly** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wicked-vs-wickedly)
- **wick** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wick-vs-wicked)
- **walked** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/walked-vs-wicked)
- **whacked** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whacked-vs-wicked)

## Common misspellings (9)
`iwcked`, `wciked`, `wiccked`, `wicekd`, `wickde`, `wickedd`, `wickked`, `wikced`, `wwicked`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/wicked