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
As usual, the list of evils leads off with a medical procedure that is never directly condemned in the Bible — and is arguably even sanctioned in Jewish texts when a pregnancy threatens a woman’s health.
—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 Feb. 2026
Voters in primary elections may nominate extremists to run in the general election, leaving independents no choice but to vote for the lesser of two evils or to abstain from voting for either.
—Chicago Tribune, 26 Jan. 2026
Nick, first buy a dictionary and then take a few courses in logic and the evils of bigotry.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 26 Jan. 2026
These necessary evils drain your creative energy.
—Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026
One was a sense of the evils of narcotrafficking; Petro recited a litany of statistics about Colombia’s efforts to halt drug smuggling.
—Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker, 15 Jan. 2026
King confronted tension and his words were not to placate to white society, but to confront and eradicate the evils that plagued his people.
—Raisa Habersham, Miami Herald, 15 Jan. 2026
On the contrary, what often works best are vague or utopian promises of deliverance, combined with an emotionally powerful depiction of the intolerable injustice and inescapable evils of the current regime.
—Karim Sadjadpour, The Atlantic, 10 Jan. 2026
In addition to a whirlwind of emotional sequences, the back half of the season is finally beginning to provide some answers about the Upside Down and the evils that Hawkins has been facing this whole time.
—Katie Campione, Deadline, 25 Dec. 2025
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 Feb. 2026
Voters in primary elections may nominate extremists to run in the general election, leaving independents no choice but to vote for the lesser of two evils or to abstain from voting for either.
—Chicago Tribune, 26 Jan. 2026
Nick, first buy a dictionary and then take a few courses in logic and the evils of bigotry.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 26 Jan. 2026
These necessary evils drain your creative energy.
—Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026
One was a sense of the evils of narcotrafficking; Petro recited a litany of statistics about Colombia’s efforts to halt drug smuggling.
—Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker, 15 Jan. 2026
King confronted tension and his words were not to placate to white society, but to confront and eradicate the evils that plagued his people.
—Raisa Habersham, Miami Herald, 15 Jan. 2026
On the contrary, what often works best are vague or utopian promises of deliverance, combined with an emotionally powerful depiction of the intolerable injustice and inescapable evils of the current regime.
—Karim Sadjadpour, The Atlantic, 10 Jan. 2026
In addition to a whirlwind of emotional sequences, the back half of the season is finally beginning to provide some answers about the Upside Down and the evils that Hawkins has been facing this whole time.
—Katie Campione, Deadline, 25 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for evils
Noun
-
Amid a prediction history that featured 13 wrongs in my first 16 years — how does that even happen?—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
-
The Knicks merely need to right their wrongs.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
4 Feb. 2026
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
Noun
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Most of the revelations in the files have not revealed journalistic sins, but have highlighted uncomfortably close relationships with New York media figures and a man who had been convicted of soliciting a minor.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
9 Feb. 2026
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Yasmin, meanwhile, is still haunted by the sins of her father—a figure reminiscent of Robert Maxwell—yet seemingly doomed to enable the same kinds of offenses.—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The conductor added that opera not only reveals societal ills but can model what an ideal society can look like.—
Malia Mendez,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Feb. 2026
-
During the 1980s, both tabloids pandered to the racial resentments and fears of white New Yorkers when covering all of the city’s ills.—
Heather Ann Thompson,
The Atlantic,
26 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Evils.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/evils. Accessed 10 Feb. 2026.
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