as in bad
that which is morally unacceptable
our free will allows us to choose between good and evil
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in harmful
causing or capable of causing harm
drank an evil potion
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2
as in immoral
not conforming to a high moral standard; morally unacceptable
their evil deeds rank among the worst in history
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3
as in ugly
causing intense displeasure, disgust, or resentment
she refused to eat olives or anything which had their evil flavor
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of evil
Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 18 May 2026
Rodriguez-Singh called Noel evil and a demon, police have said.
—Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 May 2026
Ken Burns, Rolling Stone, 19 May 2026
Death is seen as a transition, with crying, singing, and movement by mourners helping drive away evil spirits.
—ABC News, 18 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for evil
Noun
On some level, Hasna senses that such a soulless, Kafkaesque environment has to be hiding worse evils than paycheck withholding and infrequent bathroom breaks.
—Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 18 May 2026
Rodriguez-Singh called Noel evil and a demon, police have said.
—Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 May 2026
Adjective
Vote and be educated about the issues; don’t just assume that the person on the other side is evil.
—Ken Burns, Rolling Stone, 19 May 2026
Death is seen as a transition, with crying, singing, and movement by mourners helping drive away evil spirits.
—ABC News, 18 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for evil
Recent Examples of Synonyms for evil
Noun
-
While working together on The Unit, David Mamet once told you that good drama isn’t a choice between good and bad; good drama is the choice between two bads.—
Max Gao,
The Hollywood Reporter,
24 Jan. 2025
-
Reports out of fall camp haven’t been super favorable to their offense, and while the defense will, again, be top-notch, a team with this bad of an offense cannot be trusted.—
Austin Mock,
The Athletic,
19 Aug. 2024
Adjective
-
Prosecutors maintain the search was legal because it was conducted in conjunction with an arrest and officers were following Altoona police protocols that require them to check for dangerous items that could be harmful to them or the public.—
Michael R. Sisak,
Los Angeles Times,
18 May 2026
-
Santos is charged with distributing food with a harmful substance, according to court records obtained by the Telegram & Gazette, part of the USA TODAY Network.—
Drew Pittock,
USA Today,
18 May 2026
Adjective
-
Players take on the role of one of four Vault Hunters searching for mythical vaults while trying to take on the planet’s immoral dictator.—
Sheena Vasani,
The Verge,
23 May 2026
-
The government has suspended the platform several times, citing concerns that the app promotes immoral or unlawful content.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
19 May 2026
Adjective
-
But there is a right to be concerned about Levshunov after an ugly 2025-26.—
Kalen Lumpkins,
Chicago Tribune,
23 May 2026
-
Between archival footage and photos of Lennon and Ono, there are dozens of jarring, ugly visuals, seemingly generated by entering Ono and Lennon’s dialogue into a machine that spits out bizarrely literal interpretations of text.—
Rachel Handler,
Vulture,
22 May 2026
Noun
-
There’s also the inclination to right a wrong, as in the case of Turner.—
Devon Ivie,
Vulture,
14 May 2026
-
Most of what could go wrong has already been engineered against.—
Chris Dong,
Travel + Leisure,
12 May 2026
Adjective
-
But pretty quickly, Wahl said that both the mother and police realized something more dangerous could be brewing.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
19 May 2026
-
Sheets touched on the other key to his success — and any dangerous hitter’s success — in the above quote.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 May 2026
Adjective
-
As a result of the operation, 22 were arrested on charges that included affray, possession of narcotics, resisting without violence, and unlawful possession of a weapon.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
22 May 2026
-
Kelly was indicted on one count each of second-degree murder, reckless endangerment and unlawful imprisonment and three counts of endangering the welfare of a child.—
Janelle Griffith,
PEOPLE,
21 May 2026
Adjective
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Both are also, objectively speaking, disgusting.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
22 May 2026
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What could be more cunning and disgusting than training dogs to commit anal rape?—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
21 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Evil.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/evil. Accessed 25 May. 2026.
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