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.
"We always talk about Iran as evil, but they are very rational," he said.
From BBC
Others said it was a sign of something dark; an evil augury, the beginning of worse.
From Literature
The ancient steps creak like some evil violin.
From Literature
The animated movie, featuring fictional K-pop idols who fight the forces of evil, has become the most streamed Netflix movie with more than 480 million views since its release in June.
From Los Angeles Times
Denver Quarterly evidently bars material that lays bare social evils, since “we do not tolerate submissions that contain hate speech, bigotry, discrimination, or racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, or ableist language or violence of any kind.”
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.
