evil

adjective \ ˈē-vəl , British often and US sometimes ˈē-(ˌ)vil \

Updated on: 11 Sep 2017

Definition of evil

eviler or eviller; evilest or evillest

1 a :morally reprehensible :sinful, wicked

an evil impulse

b :arising from actual or imputed bad character or conduct

a person of evil reputation

2 a archaic :inferior

b :causing discomfort or repulsion :offensive

an evil odor

c :disagreeable

woke late and in an evil temper

3 a :causing harm :pernicious

the evil institution of slavery

b :marked by misfortune :unlucky

—

evil

adverb, archaic

—

evilly

play \ˈē-və(l)-lē, British often and US sometimes ˈē-(ˌ)vi(l)-\ adverb

—

evilness

play \ˈē-vəl-nəs, British often and US sometimes ˈē-(ˌ)vil-\ noun

See evil defined for English-language learners

See evil defined for kids

Examples of evil in a Sentence

She drank an evil potion.
The city has fallen on evil days.
It was an evil omen.

Recent Examples of evil from the Web

But remember: Bose–Einstein condensates are not evil.

— thilo stöferle, Ars Technica, "The science of Spectral: Is that really how Bose–Einstein condensate behaves?," 18 July 2017
President Donald Trump so craves to have the evil mainstream media love him.

— vanityfair.com, "Trump’s Emotional Roller Coaster Jumps the Tracks," 17 July 2017
John Robert Lindsey made a properly evil Monostatos (a dead ringer for the vampire Nosferatu), accompanied by terrifying dogs rather than slaves.

— janelle gelfand, Cincinnati.com, "'The Magic Flute' a surreal visual extravaganza," 16 July 2017
Pamina has the short bob hairdo of flapper-era star Louise Brooks, the birdcatcher is a Buster Keaton-style Papageno and the evil Monostatos reminds of Nosferatu.

— janelle gelfand, Cincinnati.com, "Making magic with an animated 'Magic Flute'," 6 July 2017
The morning babble Trump & Friends was back in full post-holiday boosterish mode, bashing the evil mainstream media for suggesting President Trump might be pandering in comments about a British child with the rare illness.

— The Hive, "New York Not Impressed By Rahm Emanuel’s Gloating," 5 July 2017
Madigan performed his evil genius tax raising act — with the 15 craven Republicans — in early July, not June.

— john kass, chicagotribune.com, "No shortage of people standing tall in the face of little support," 5 July 2017
The Master's return isn't blockbuster enough for me, even with the good versus evil Superman III undertones in his cheeky exchanges with Missy.

— kelly fiveash, Ars Technica, "Doctor Who review: Time tumbles out of control in The Doctor Falls," 3 July 2017
Well, not evil, really, but more bureaucratic, legalistic b.s.

— aaron pressman, Fortune, "Data Sheet—Friday, June 30, 2017," 30 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'evil.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of evil

Middle English, from Old English yfel; akin to Old High German ubil evil

evil Synonyms

Synonyms

adverse, bad, baleful, baneful, damaging, dangerous, deleterious, detrimental, harmful, hurtful, ill, injurious, mischievous, nocuous, noxious, pernicious, prejudicial, wicked

Antonyms

anodyne, benign, harmless, hurtless, innocent, innocuous, inoffensive, safe

Near Antonyms

advantageous, beneficial, useful; favorable, good, propitious; curative, healthful, healthy, helpful, palliative, remedial, salubrious, salutary, wholesome; secure, sound; benignant; noncorrosive, nondestructive, nonfatal, noninfectious, nonlethal, nonpoisonous, nonpolluting, nontoxic, nonvenomous

evil

noun

Definition of evil

1 a :the fact of suffering, misfortune, and wrongdoing

b :a cosmic evil force

2 :something that brings sorrow, distress, or calamity

See evil defined for English-language learners

Examples of evil in a Sentence

the battle of good versus evil
our free will allows us to choose between good and evil

Recent Examples of evil from the Web

Still others believe that Sheela-na-Gigs were good-luck tokens, or talismanic stayers of evil.

— brigit katz, Smithsonian, "Interactive Map Tracks Ireland’s Mysterious Naked Sculptures," 24 Aug. 2017
Nazism, too, had no valence in electoral politics, and Nazis have served as the ultimate representation of evil in American culture for decades.

— jonathan chait, Daily Intelligencer, "Trump’s White Nationalist House," 20 Aug. 2017
Even bible verses associate left-handedness with evil.

— valeria merino, The Courier-Journal, "Lefties, the struggle is real. Here are 8 surprising things to know for Left-Handers Day," 13 Aug. 2017
There is no worse soulful pain and punishment than recognizing the evil of one's actions but not being able to withdraw — having become so accustomed to committing this sin (hergel aveirah).

— rabbi avi weiss, Jewish Journal, "Weiss: The challenges of life in exile," 31 July 2017
But compared to past villains like Ramsay Bolton and Joffrey Baratheon, who were just straight-up evil, Euron seems to have a little bit more up his sleeve.

— chanel vargas, Harper's BAZAAR, "This Violent Game of Thrones Detail You Missed Shows Just How Cruel Euron Greyjoy Really Is," 24 July 2017
McCain, on the other hand, is cast as an evil warmonger by a thousand conspiracy websites.

— elliot kaufman, National Review, "John McCain: A Hero Under Fire," 19 July 2017
All had precisely honed insights about the nature of humanity and of evil that remade expectations of what TV could do.

— TIME.com, "Game of Thrones: How They Make the World’s Most Popular Show," 30 June 2017
Wonder Woman PG-13 Diana, Princess of the Amazons, learns of evil outside of her world and becomes a crusading crime fighter, Wonder Woman.

— guy hanford, Ramona Sentinel, "Flickers: ‘Despicable Me 3’ opens Friday," 29 June 2017

evil Synonyms

Synonyms

bad, evildoing, ill, immorality, iniquity, sin, villainy, wrong

Antonyms

good, morality, right, virtue

Near Antonyms

decency, goodness, honesty, integrity, probity, rectitude, uprightness; goodness, righteousness, virtuousness

evil

adverb

Definition of evil

archaic

:in an evil manner

EVIL Defined for English Language Learners

evil

adjective

Definition of evil for English Language Learners

: morally bad
: causing harm or injury to someone
: marked by bad luck or bad events

evil

noun

Definition of evil for English Language Learners

: the force of things that are morally bad
: something that is harmful or bad

EVIL Defined for Kids

evil

adjective \ ˈē-vəl \

Definition of evil for Students

1 :morally bad :wicked

an evil influence

2 :causing harm :tending to injure

an evil spell

Headscratcher for evil

Evil and “vile” are spelled using the same letters and also have similar meanings. They can both be used to describe something or someone wicked.

evil

noun

Definition of evil for Students

1 :something that brings sorrow, trouble, or destruction

the evils of poverty

2 :the fact of suffering or wrongdoing

We must rid the world of evil.

3 :bad behavior or moral state :wickedness

… Mr. Lapham had discovered the evil that had gone on in his absence …
—Esther Forbes, Johnny Tremain

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See words that rhyme with evil Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for evil Spanish Central: Translation of evil Nglish: Translation of evil for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of evil for Arabic speakers

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evil

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evil

Definition of evil for English Language Learners

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