a.  凶险的；残酷的 ≈ brutal

a.  狠毒的，恶毒的，恶意的 ≈ malicious

a.  剧烈的；恶劣的 ≈ violent

• a vicious headache  剧烈的头痛  

• a vicious gust of wind  一阵很猛烈的风

• Perlow calls this vicious cycle the “cycle of responsiveness”: Once bosses and colleagues experience an employee's increased responsiveness, they increase their demands on the employee's time. 恶性循环

• Keep away from that dog, he can be vicious. 离那只狗远点，它有时很凶猛。

• She was shocked by the vicious tone in his voice. 她对他恶毒的语气感到震惊。

• She has a vicious temper. 她性情暴虐。

BrE /əˌbriːviˈeɪʃn/