The Word Wicked

Wicked the hit Broadway musical, is a story that challenges traditional concepts of what it means to be “good” and what it means to be “wicked.” The word, according to traditional definitions means:

  • Morally bad in regards to principle or practice.
  • Sinful, or having given oneself over to the practice of unrighteous acts.
  • Severe, intensely wrong/bad or unpleasant.
  • Something that disgusts, arousing distaste, aversion or disgust.
  • Also associated with the world “evil.”

The word has also come to mean many different things in popularly used slang, including:

  1. Very good or excellent, also meaning cool. when used as an adjective.
  2. Very, really or extremely; when it is used as an adverb. Especially in the UK.

In the book Wicked, the life and times of the Wicked Witch of the West and the musical Wicked, the word is treated as a social justification for the creation of a scapegoat.

This fascinating musical turns previous social norms, and the traditional stories of  Oz, first written by L. Frank Baum in 1901. Be sure to get your Wicked tickets soon. And enjoy one of the most popular and exciting musicals of the decade!

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