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vicio

BEE-syoh/ˈbisjo/

“vicio” means “bad habit” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:

bad habit, vice

Also: addiction
NounmA2
Spain
A colorful storybook illustration of a person sitting on a sofa, surrounded by empty snack bags and candy wrappers.

📝 In Action

Morderse las uñas es un mal vicio.

A1

Biting your nails is a bad habit.

El juego se convirtió en un vicio para él.

B1

Gambling became a vice for him.

No puedo dejar de ver esta serie, ¡es puro vicio!

B1

I can't stop watching this series, it's so addictive!

Word Connections

Synonyms

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • caer en el vicio – to fall into a vice
  • un vicio solitario – a private bad habit
  • tener el vicio de... – to have the habit of...

Idioms & Expressions

  • hacer de la necesidad vicio – to find pleasure or a habit in something you were forced to do anyway

defect, flaw

Also: invalidity
NounmB2formal
A colorful storybook illustration of a wooden chair with one leg noticeably shorter than the others, making it lean to the side.

📝 In Action

La casa tiene un vicio de construcción en los cimientos.

B2

The house has a construction defect in the foundations.

El contrato fue anulado por un vicio de forma.

C1

The contract was cancelled due to a formal defect.

Detectamos un vicio en el sistema de frenado.

B2

We detected a flaw in the braking system.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • defecto (defect)
  • tara (physical flaw)
  • imperfección (imperfection)

Antonyms

  • perfección (perfection)
  • validez (validity)

Common Collocations

  • vicio oculto – hidden defect (often in sales/real estate)
  • vicio de forma – legal technicality or formal error
  • vicio de consentimiento – lack of free will in a legal agreement

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "vicio" in Spanish:

addiction→bad habit→defect→flaw→invalidity→vice→

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: vicio

Question 1 of 3

If you bought a house and found a hole hidden behind a wall, what is that called?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
vicioso(vicious or habit-forming) — Adjective
enviciar(to cause a bad habit) — Verb
enviciarse(to get hooked on something) — Verb
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼

From the Latin word 'vitium', which meant a fault, a defect, or a physical blemish.

First recorded: 12th century

Cognates (Related words)

English: viceFrench: vicePortuguese: vício

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Frequently Asked Questions

Does 'vicio' always mean something evil?

No. While it can mean a serious moral vice, it is very commonly used for minor things like biting nails or being 'addicted' to a fun TV show.

What is the difference between 'vicio' and 'hábito'?

An 'hábito' (habit) is neutral—it can be good or bad. A 'vicio' specifically implies the habit is negative, unhealthy, or excessive.

What does 'comer de vicio' mean?

In Spain, this informal phrase means to eat extremely well or to eat food that is so good it's 'addictive'.