French Conversation · Level 107
58 words
French word
vice
Pronunciation
IPA/vis/
Meaning
- masculine nounbad habit
Example
Son vice, c'est de fumer.
His bad habit is smoking.
More examples
Il essaie de se débarrasser de son vice.
He is trying to rid himself of his vice.
Core concept
A weak spot in a person's character repeatedly pulls behavior toward a harmful habit.
Common phrases
avoir un vice
have a bad habit
un vice de caractère
a character defect
se débarrasser d'un vice
rid oneself of a vice
Similar words
habitude: A repeated habit that is undesirable for the person who has it.
défaut: An undesirable aspect of someone's character or nature.
manie: A small habit or action repeated unconsciously.
addiction: A state of strong dependence on a substance or activity that cannot be stopped voluntarily.
Definition in French
Comportement habituel jugé mauvais ou défaut moral d'une personne, marquant une inclination persistante.
Word origin
French vice comes from Latin vitium, meaning a fault or defect, through Old French, with the moral sense developing from this broader idea of a flaw.
Usage tips
- French vice is pronounced /vis/, with the final c sounding like s, unlike English vice, pronounced /vaIs/.