as in badness
the state or quality of being utterly evil
the evilness of the crimes was considered by the judge in sentencing
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Recent Examples of evilness
That was really what helped me into the character and into her evilness.
—
William Earl, Variety, 4 Oct. 2025
William Earl, Variety, 4 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for evilness
Noun
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On one side, a satanic figure named Randall Flagg who gathers his forces of badness to Las Vegas; on the other, the good guys, led by 108-year-old Mother Abigail in, of all places, Boulder.—
Barbara Ellis,
Denver Post,
15 Jan. 2026
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The show premiered over Thanksgiving weekend, when people were tired and full and bored (and probably also horny), and countered our world’s unceasing badness with its world’s buoyant sweetness.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Denver author Josiah Hesse was raised by Evangelical parents in churches that believe in the torments of hell, that their poverty is due to their sinfulness and lack of faith.—
Sandra Dallas,
Denver Post,
1 Feb. 2026
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This lawless crew shares dramaturgical DNA with the vice figures from medieval morality plays, personifications of sinfulness who would confide their schemes to the audience and make theatergoers their co-conspirators in a riveting game that obviously left its mark on a young Shakespeare.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Jan. 2026
Noun
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While many right-wing politicos take issue with Fuentes’ most polarizing positions, such as skepticism about the atrocities committed during the Holocaust, highly influential conservatives including Tucker Carlson have taken an interest in at least some of his views.—
Brian Niemietz,
New York Daily News,
20 Apr. 2026
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The counterargument is that the world is filled with so many visible atrocities right now that a make-believe movie poster seems like the least of our problems.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
20 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Evilness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/evilness. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
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