Meaning
cowardly, dastardly
- base, miserable, mean
- cheap, worthless, base
In a sentence
È stato vile lasciare l'amico da solo.
It was cowardly to leave a friend alone.
Perché fai un gesto così vile?
Why do you do such a mean thing?
È stato un gesto vile e meschino.
It was a vile and mean act.
Word forms (4)
| Word | Word forms |
|---|---|
| vile | masculine · singular |
| vile | feminine · singular |
| vili | masculine · plural |
| vili | feminine · plural |
Usage notes
- Use vile for strong moral disgust: a vile act, a vile person. For simple bad quality, brutto or pessimo is usually more natural.
- Vile often comes before the noun: un vile traditore. After essere, it sounds literary or emphatic: Quell'uomo è vile.
- Don't confuse vile with villano. Vile means morally low or cowardly; villano usually means rude or uncivil.