evil

Very bad and cruel in a way that seriously breaks ideas of right and wrong.

• The story has an evil king.
• They punished him for his evil deeds.
• Can an evil person ever change?

Similar words: wicked, bad

Opposites: good

Common phrases: an evil person, evil deeds, truly evil

Wanting or planning to hurt other people.

• He had evil intentions.
• The guards discovered an evil plot to poison the queen.
• She gave an evil smile as she planned her revenge.

Similar words: malicious, malevolent

Opposites: benevolent

Common phrases: evil intentions, an evil plot, an evil plan

The quality of being deeply bad or cruel.

• His heart was full of evil.
• The book explores the evil in human nature.
• She described his cruelty as pure evil.

Similar words: wickedness, badness, malevolence

Opposites: goodness

Common phrases: good and evil, pure evil, full of evil, human evil

Something that causes harm, suffering, or serious problems.

• They chose the lesser evil.
• The report describes the evils of poverty.
• He considers paperwork a necessary evil.

Similar words: harm, ill, affliction

Common phrases: a necessary evil, the lesser evil, evil of war

A powerful spiritual force believed to cause bad things and oppose goodness.

• The charm protects against evil.
• The heroes fought the forces of evil.
• They believed an ancient evil lived beneath the castle.

Similar words: darkness

Opposites: good

Common phrases: forces of evil, protect against evil, fight evil