as in wrongs
that which is morally unacceptable
our free will allows us to choose between good and evil
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Recent Examples of evils
So please get ready for a choice of evils.
—
Ann Manov, Harpers Magazine, 23 June 2026
The island village is beset by sea hags, serial killers, creepy clowns and other evils that interfere with Tom’s dream of turning Widow’s Bay into a Martha’s Vineyard-like tourist destination.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 17 June 2026
For African Americans, presidential elections have almost always been exercises in lesser evils and harm reduction.
—Ta-Nehisi Coates, Vanity Fair, 15 June 2026
All the while, Russian state TV continued to air the Kremlin’s talking points about the valor of its troops, the evils of Ukraine and its Western allies, and the approaching victory of Russia.
—Simon Shuster, The Atlantic, 6 June 2026
By the way, Orange County Republicans clearly don’t buy the evils-of-voting-by-mail thing.
—Teri Sforza, Oc Register, 3 June 2026
And right now, the Democrats are the lesser of two evils.
—Kiara Moore, The Washington Examiner, 20 May 2026
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
Joplin’s luminous musical parable on the evils of ignorance and superstition, on redemption through education and enlightenment, is uncannily attuned to the present moment.
—Larry Wolff, The New York Review of Books, 16 May 2026
Ann Manov, Harpers Magazine, 23 June 2026
The island village is beset by sea hags, serial killers, creepy clowns and other evils that interfere with Tom’s dream of turning Widow’s Bay into a Martha’s Vineyard-like tourist destination.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 17 June 2026
For African Americans, presidential elections have almost always been exercises in lesser evils and harm reduction.
—Ta-Nehisi Coates, Vanity Fair, 15 June 2026
All the while, Russian state TV continued to air the Kremlin’s talking points about the valor of its troops, the evils of Ukraine and its Western allies, and the approaching victory of Russia.
—Simon Shuster, The Atlantic, 6 June 2026
By the way, Orange County Republicans clearly don’t buy the evils-of-voting-by-mail thing.
—Teri Sforza, Oc Register, 3 June 2026
And right now, the Democrats are the lesser of two evils.
—Kiara Moore, The Washington Examiner, 20 May 2026
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
Joplin’s luminous musical parable on the evils of ignorance and superstition, on redemption through education and enlightenment, is uncannily attuned to the present moment.
—Larry Wolff, The New York Review of Books, 16 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for evils
Noun
-
Artist Included argues that the same technology can be pointed backward, to right an industry’s old wrongs and return ownership and income to artists never built into the deal.—
Jeff Benjamin,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2026
-
So did two wrongs make a right?—
Sean McIndoe,
New York Times,
16 June 2026
Noun
-
In addition to public goods, AI will also create public bads.—
James Broughel,
Forbes.com,
8 June 2026
-
Naturally, the meeting is a flop because no one was prepared, and their spontaneous ideas are frankly fireable-offense bad (a baguette bag shaped like a baguette for Paris?—
Jessica M. Goldstein,
Vulture,
18 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Do not allow the sins of the past to overwhelm, to drown the present.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 June 2026
-
That relationship was based on sinners confessing their sins to this vicar.—
Pat Saperstein,
Variety,
14 June 2026
Noun
-
In the winter of 1920, the United States entered Prohibition in the United States after years of campaigning by temperance groups who believed alcohol sat at the root of many social ills.—
Kate Hardcastle,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2026
-
On this near-ideal night, all the ills of the past few years faded away, and an era — or at least a month — of real ambition began.—
Henry Bushnell,
New York Times,
14 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Evils.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/evils. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
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