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evil

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adjective

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as in immoral
not conforming to a high moral standard; morally unacceptable their evil deeds rank among the worst in history

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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evil spirits
wicked spirits
demonic spirits
malicious spirits
dangerous spirits
negative spirits
evil people
cruel people
villainous people
diabolical people
vicious people
unethical people
evil deeds
dirty deeds
dark deeds
sinful deeds
terrible deeds
devious deeds
evil men
shady men
maleficent men
unholy men
evil thoughts
malevolent thoughts
harmful thoughts
deadly thoughts
nasty thoughts
hateful thoughts

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of evil
Noun
Not for evil to come to them, but for God to change the trajectory of their mind. Bea L. Hines, Miami Herald, 17 Apr. 2025 Navigating the line between amateur sleuthing and official police investigation, a pack of dedicated vigilantes from the Furry community fights for the victims and defends their community from the evil within. Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 17 Apr. 2025
Adjective
Peter Rabbit himself is presented as a Jesus-like figure, with his countless fables documenting his frequent victories over the evil Mr. McGregor, a farmer in Potter's books but akin to the devil in Rusty Rabbit. Oliver Brandt, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Apr. 2025 Every single character in The Handmaid’s Tale is in a compromising struggle for survival — good people do bad things, and evil people make redemptive choices. Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 22 Apr. 2025 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
  • Confusing a congressional edict to end segregation with DEI policies that have no genesis in the Black Civil Rights movement to end Jim Crow is historically ignorant, disrespectful, and harmful to the urgent need to focus on resolving continuing racial inequalities in public education.
    Raymond Pierce, Forbes.com, 25 Apr. 2025
  • For every person who happily sets 4:00 a.m. alarms on race morning, there’s another convinced the sport is too hard, too boring, or a waste of time, if not outright harmful.
    Cindy Kuzma, SELF, 25 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Even children and adolescents express more willingness to shun and punish moral transgressors than people who do something personally obnoxious or offensive but not immoral.
    Jen Cole Wright, The Conversation, 14 Apr. 2025
  • Regardless of what transpired between the two cast members, on or off screen, Aspen was unfairly portrayed as an immoral character.
    Taylor Crumpton, Essence, 11 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • The Heat finished with an ugly 12-34 record against opponents that finished this regular season with a .500 record or better.
    Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 29 Apr. 2025
  • Brinkley in her book describes one ugly scene when Joel, deep in his cups, ate a heap of spaghetti directly from a large pan on the stove, then vehemently kicked everyone out of the house for eating his pasta.
    Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Buyers who make the correct prediction receive a dollar per contract purchased, while those who get it wrong receive nothing in return. To be clear, Kalshi is neither a party to these contracts nor sets contractual prices.
    Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 21 Apr. 2025
  • Others appeared to be armed civilians seeking revenge for wrongs committed during the civil war, residents said.
    Christina Goldbaum, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Reading back over her sister’s occasionally gossipy letters, maybe Cassie thought those qualities were just too dangerous to reveal publicly.
    Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 30 Apr. 2025
  • The album calls out what Young sees as dangerous overreach by corporate interests into food systems and public health.
    Heather Hunter, The Washington Examiner, 30 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • That month, Drummond sued the board directly in the Oklahoma Supreme Court and asked it to rescind the charter contract and declare St. Isidore's establishment as a charter school unlawful.
    Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 29 Apr. 2025
  • Of note: Your Content must not be false, defamatory, misleading or hateful, or infringe any copyright or any other third-party rights or otherwise be unlawful.
    Catherine Pearson, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • The fridge was smelly and disgusting before it was replaced about a week later.
    Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 21 Apr. 2025
  • Vandalizing the State Republican Party's property with disgusting Nazi symbols while screaming about 'fascism' reveals these individuals are hypocrites, idiots, or both.
    Ewan Palmer, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Evil.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/evil. Accessed 3 May. 2025.

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