as in bad
that which is morally unacceptable
our free will allows us to choose between good and evil
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in harmful
causing or capable of causing harm
drank an evil potion
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
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
3
as in ugly
causing intense displeasure, disgust, or resentment
she refused to eat olives or anything which had their evil flavor
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Try This Instead
Try This InsteadFor
Try This
evil people
evil thoughts
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of evil
John Hopewell, Variety, 29 July 2025
Many Israelis may not care or may see their country’s conduct as a necessary evil in a fundamentally just campaign against terrorist groups and the governments that support them.
—Daniel Byman, Foreign Affairs, 28 July 2025
Christopher Cann, USA Today, 25 July 2025
Thanks to now-iconic moments like Bob Barker’s surprisingly physical cameo and a cast including Christopher McDonald as Happy’s cartoonishly evil rival Shooter McGavin, the movie became a cult classic.
—Skyler Trepel, EW.com, 25 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for evil
Noun
Begun as an interrogation of evil, the bio climaxes in farce.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 29 July 2025
Many Israelis may not care or may see their country’s conduct as a necessary evil in a fundamentally just campaign against terrorist groups and the governments that support them.
—Daniel Byman, Foreign Affairs, 28 July 2025
Adjective
Prosecutors alleged Vallow Daybell and her husband, Chad Daybell, believed an apocalypse was imminent and people around them were evil zombies.
—Christopher Cann, USA Today, 25 July 2025
Thanks to now-iconic moments like Bob Barker’s surprisingly physical cameo and a cast including Christopher McDonald as Happy’s cartoonishly evil rival Shooter McGavin, the movie became a cult classic.
—Skyler Trepel, EW.com, 25 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for evil
Recent Examples of Synonyms for evil
Noun
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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
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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
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These tools can help detect harmful symbols, explicit imagery or copyright violations before content is published.—
Anees Ali Khan,
Forbes.com,
8 Aug. 2025
-
In a time when transgender rights are under threat via a backlash spurred on by harmful theology within church spaces, the call for inclusion — despite one’s gender identity, expression, or sexuality — is both a rarity and necessity within the traditional gospel and Christian world.—
Meagan Jordan,
Rolling Stone,
8 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Rudy flames out on his first day, though, and ends up working for a shady lawyer named Bruiser (Lana Parrilla) and her gleefully immoral paralegal Deck (P.J. Byrne).—
Dave Nemetz,
TVLine,
12 Aug. 2025
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Others argue the bombings were militarily unnecessary, inherently immoral, and primarily designed to flex American power.—
David Cavell,
Time,
6 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
The Navy must address the ugly fact that, despite all the security America can provide, a diverse array of enemies, rivals and criminals can shut the Panama Canal down at virtually any time.—
Craig Hooper,
Forbes.com,
14 Aug. 2025
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In the ugliest defeat of a season belatedly compiling them, the New York Mets blew an early 6-0 lead Wednesday to fall to the Atlanta Braves 11-6.—
Tim Britton,
New York Times,
14 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Maybe a first step should have been acknowledging the wrong that took place in April.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
31 July 2025
-
What follows is a comedy of mistaken identities and a clever plot to right wrongs.—
Domenica Bongiovanni,
IndyStar,
31 July 2025
Adjective
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That said, the Revolution had promising spells of attacking play and even looked the more dangerous side in the first half.—
Julian Cardillo,
Boston Herald,
17 Aug. 2025
-
In hilly terrain there are hundreds of low water crossings which are potentially dangerous in heavy rain.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
16 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Drake Solomon accuses his former employer of disability discrimination and an unlawful severance offer.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
15 Aug. 2025
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Instead, advocates say those who are not in shelter are being pushed farther and farther away from services in an attempt to escape unlawful camping citations.—
Keely Doll,
The Courier-Journal,
15 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Kruse and her co-conspirators are now on their fourth different set of lawyers in this dispute, and this is a disgusting publicity stunt by new counsel, as evidenced by the fact that the complaint and press release were sent to the press before the complaint was served.—
Michaela Zee,
Variety,
13 Aug. 2025
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The series sets the various human and humanoid segments of its cast on a direct course with the distinctly inhuman alien flora and fauna on the ship – there are some inventive little monsters aboard, disgusting and harrowing in their own special ways – to great effect.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
12 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Evil.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/evil. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
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