evil
Americanadjective
-
morally wrong or bad; immoral; wicked.
evil deeds;
an evil life.
- Antonyms:
- righteous
-
evil laws.
- Synonyms:
- destructive, pernicious
-
characterized or accompanied by misfortune or suffering; unfortunate; disastrous.
to be fallen on evil days.
-
due to actual or imputed bad conduct or character.
an evil reputation.
-
marked by anger, irritability, irascibility, etc..
He is known for his evil disposition.
noun
-
that which is evil; evil quality, intention, or conduct.
to choose the lesser of two evils.
- Synonyms:
- baseness, corruption, unrighteousness, iniquity, depravity, wickedness
-
the force in nature that governs and gives rise to wickedness and sin.
-
the wicked or immoral part of someone or something.
The evil in his nature has destroyed the good.
-
harm; mischief; misfortune.
to wish one evil.
-
anything causing injury or harm.
Tobacco is considered by some to be an evil.
-
a harmful aspect, effect, or consequence.
the evils of alcohol.
-
a disease, as king's evil.
adverb
idioms
adjective
-
morally wrong or bad; wicked
an evil ruler
-
causing harm or injury; harmful
an evil plan
-
marked or accompanied by misfortune; unlucky
an evil fate
-
(of temper, disposition, etc) characterized by anger or spite
-
not in high esteem; infamous
an evil reputation
-
offensive or unpleasant
an evil smell
-
slang good; excellent
noun
-
the quality or an instance of being morally wrong; wickedness
the evils of war
-
(sometimes capital) a force or power that brings about wickedness or harm
evil is strong in the world
-
archaic an illness or disease, esp scrofula (the king's evil )
adverb
Usage
What are other ways to say evil?
A person or thing that is evil is morally wrong. How does evil differ from bad, wicked, and ill? Find out on Thesaurus.com.
Other Word Forms
- evilly adverb
- evilness noun
- nonevil adjective
- nonevilly adverb
- nonevilness noun
- quasi-evil adjective
- quasi-evilly adverb
- unevil adjective
- unevilly adverb
Etymology
Origin of evil
First recorded before 900; Middle English evel, evil, Old English yfel; cognate with Gothic ubils, Old High German ubil, German übel, Old Frisian, Middle Dutch evel
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Some films cast the King of the Monsters as a protector unconsciously joining humanity – and occasionally, King Kong – to fend off some mammoth existential evil.
From Salon
"All I can say is keep your head up, keep believing in the right things, keep acting in the right way, and in the end... good triumphs over evil."
From BBC
A full ten years ago, way back in 1927, Willem had written in his doctoral thesis, done in Germany, that a terrible evil was taking root in that land.
From Literature
And I still think the snake in the henhouse was an evil omen of trouble coming.
From Literature
His father’s face was grim; he didn’t seem like Fa anymore, ‘Some -demon -from the Otherworld -has entered it and made it evil.’
From Literature
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
