Etymology
Origin of wickedness
Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; see origin at wicked, -ness
Explanation
Wickedness goes way past being naughty or mischievous; it means a quality of true evil. In an old spy movie, the villain might reveal his wickedness by cackling with delight while carrying out dastardly plans. A tyrant's cruel treatment of citizens is evidence of wickedness, while literary antagonists like Shakespeare's Lady Macbeth and Voldemort from the Harry Potter series display their wickedness through many vicious actions. Wickedness and wicked come from a now-obsolete adjective, wick, meaning "bad or false," and an Old English root it shares with wizard and witch.
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.
They all have a reason for the wickedness that they do.
From Slate • Jan. 20, 2026
Good is not assured victory over evil in Shakespeare, though wickedness sets in motion those forces that will hasten the end of its ride.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 19, 2025
"It's like playing Cluedo, but being live playing it, and the wickedness," she says.
From BBC • Mar. 23, 2024
Whatever supernatural elements we thought we saw may have been an extension of Rust and Marty Hart’s absorption into the disconcerting wickedness corrupting everything, or just distracting woo-woo.
From Salon • Feb. 5, 2024
Masters and mistresses in degrees of wickedness, estates of disparate means and ambition.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
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.
