evil

[ ee-vuhl ]

/ ˈi vəl /

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See synonyms for: evil / evils / evilly / evilness on Thesaurus.com

adjective

morally wrong or bad; immoral; wicked: evil deeds;an evil life.

harmful; detrimental: evil laws.

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.

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

in an evil manner; badly; ill: It went evil with him.

OTHER WORDS FOR evil

1 sinful, iniquitous, depraved, vicious, corrupt, base, vile, nefarious.

2 pernicious, destructive.

6 wickedness, depravity, iniquity, unrighteousness, corruption, baseness.

9 disaster, calamity, woe, misery, suffering, sorrow.

See synonyms for evil on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR evil

1 righteous.

See antonyms for evil on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about evil

the evil one, the devil; Satan.

Origin of evil

before 900; Middle English evel, evil,Old English yfel; cognate with Gothic ubils,Old High German ubil,German übel,Old Frisian, Middle Dutch evel

OTHER WORDS FROM evil

e·vil·ly, adverbe·vil·ness, nounnon·e·vil, adjectivenon·e·vil·ly, adverb

non·e·vil·ness, nounquasi-evil, adjectivequa·si-e·vil·ly, adverbun·e·vil, adjectiveun·e·vil·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use evil in a sentence

I’m not sure that I’m aware of any family in America that’s more evil than yours.
Members of family that led maker of OxyContin deny responsibility for opioid crisis in congressional hearing|Meryl Kornfield|December 17, 2020|Washington Post
The book, which features classic horror elements — shambling corpses, an ancient evil unleashed — is either creepily satisfying or a trigger for your worst nightmare.
‘Red Hands’ is either creepily satisfying or a trigger for your worst nightmare|Elizabeth Hand|December 17, 2020|Washington Post
Capitalism has been condemned for many of the world’s evils, from massive income inequality to climate change.
Pope Francis is backing a new movement to redefine capitalism as a force for good|Anne Quito|December 8, 2020|Quartz
Finally, we ranked the leadership qualities of each coach along an alignment chart, defining each of the nine as lawful good, lawful evil, chaotic good and chaotic evil.
Who’s The Most Chaotic Movie Football Coach?|Josh Hermsmeyer|December 4, 2020|FiveThirtyEight

Staying home as much as possible is a necessary evil to stop the wave of contagion.
As stay-at-home restrictions rise, here are ways to cope|Washington Post Staff, Elizabeth Chang, Mari-Jane Williams, Becky Krystal, Kendra Nichols, Caitlin Moore, Stephanie Merry, Missy Rosenberg, Katherine Lee|December 2, 2020|Washington Post
But even more surprising than the evilness of these characters is their outrageous lack of subtlety.
‘Sleepy Hollow’ Is TV’s Craziest, Most Over-the-Top New Show ... And You Should Watch It|Amy Zimmerman|October 8, 2013|DAILY BEAST
At last the evilness of these thoughts was plain to me; so quickly I cast the dagger overboard, and it was gone.
Wulfric the Weapon Thane|Charles W. Whistler
He couldn't tell her of the dissipation he had seen in her brother's face, nor of the evilness that had been stamped there.
Square Deal Sanderson|Charles Alden Seltzer
Considered in the light of his evilness, the unanimous conclusion was that he had killed Timothy Brown.
The Faith of Men|Jack London
And they say that the evilness of money hath made all things dearer.
Sermons on the Card and Other Discourses|Hugh Latimer
Verily there is no worm-kind nor wild beast-kind like in evilness to an evil woman.
The Homilies of the Anglo-Saxon Church|lfric

British Dictionary definitions for evil

evil

/ (ˈiːvəl) /

adjective

morally wrong or bad; wickedan evil ruler

causing harm or injury; harmfulan evil plan

marked or accompanied by misfortune; unluckyan evil fate

(of temper, disposition, etc) characterized by anger or spite

not in high esteem; infamousan evil reputation

offensive or unpleasantan evil smell

slang good; excellent

noun

the quality or an instance of being morally wrong; wickednessthe evils of war

(sometimes capital) a force or power that brings about wickedness or harmevil is strong in the world

archaic an illness or disease, esp scrofula (the king's evil)

adverb

(now usually in combination) in an evil manner; badlyevil-smelling

Derived forms of evil

evilly, adverbevilness, noun

Word Origin for evil

Old English yfel, of Germanic origin; compare Old Frisian evel, Old High German ubil evil, Old Irish adbal excessive

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

evil

OTHER WORDS FOR evil

OPPOSITES FOR evil

Idioms about evil

Origin of evil

OTHER WORDS FROM evil

Words related to evil

How to use evil in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for evil

Derived forms of evil

Word Origin for evil