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
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
Perhaps the phone call was deemed the lesser of two evils.
—Dean Spiros, Twin Cities, 24 Dec. 2025
The story behind Pulgasari is more monstrous than the actual creature, a giant metal-eating monster that terrorizes feudal Korea and represents the evils of capitalism, sort of.
—James Grebey, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
As the lesser of two evils, their argument goes, e-cigarettes could be useful in helping people quit smoking.
—NPR, 21 Nov. 2025
But getting rid of the evils of slavery meant first acknowledging them.
—Gerry Lanosga, The Conversation, 17 Nov. 2025
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
Perhaps the phone call was deemed the lesser of two evils.
—Dean Spiros, Twin Cities, 24 Dec. 2025
The story behind Pulgasari is more monstrous than the actual creature, a giant metal-eating monster that terrorizes feudal Korea and represents the evils of capitalism, sort of.
—James Grebey, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
As the lesser of two evils, their argument goes, e-cigarettes could be useful in helping people quit smoking.
—NPR, 21 Nov. 2025
But getting rid of the evils of slavery meant first acknowledging them.
—Gerry Lanosga, The Conversation, 17 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for evils
Noun
-
Righting a couple of wrongs that everybody was talking about.—
D. Orlando Ledbetter,
AJC.com,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Was this award created, to some degree, to right Emmy wrongs?—
Scott Feinberg,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Jan. 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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That, plus the lack of talent and cap space thanks to the sins of the Deshaun Watson contract, for which general manager Andrew Berry was somehow spared, makes life difficult for whatever quarterback(s) start for the Browns in 2026.—
Jacob Robinson,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
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Yet what elevates the show is its focus on gender relations and atoning for the sins of the past, adding layers of depth beyond its lurid plotting and somewhat ridiculousness.—
James Mercadante,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Certainly, in the past several years, the app has been blamed for any number of contemporary social ills.—
Naomi Fry,
New Yorker,
27 Dec. 2025
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Despite so many errors, The Information is now the paper of record on the ills of Nvidia.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
21 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Evils.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/evils. Accessed 21 Jan. 2026.
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