Evil Definition
ēvəl
evilest, evils, eviler
adjective
evilest, eviler
Morally bad or wrong; wicked; depraved.
Webster's New World
Resulting from or based on conduct regarded as immoral.
An evil reputation.
Webster's New World
Causing pain or trouble; harmful; injurious.
Webster's New World
Characterized by or indicating future misfortune; ominous.
Evil omens.
American Heritage
Bad or blameworthy by report; infamous.
An evil reputation.
American Heritage
Synonyms:
noun
evils
Moral wickedness; depravity; sin.
Webster's New World
Anything that causes harm, pain, misery, disaster, etc.
Webster's New World
An evil force, power, or personification.
American Heritage
Something that is a cause or source of suffering, injury, or destruction.
The social evils of poverty and injustice.
American Heritage
Addison.
He [Edward the Confessor] was the first that touched for the evil.
Wiktionary
Synonyms:
- scourge
- plague
- ill
- curse
- bane
- affliction
- woe
- machinations of the Devil
- crying-shame
- disaster
- foul-play
- abomination
- atrocity
- outrage
- scandal
adverb
In an evil, wicked, or offensive way.
Evil-hearted.
Webster's New World
idiom
the Evil One
- the Devil; Satan
Webster's New World
Other Word Forms of Evil
Noun
Singular:
evil
Plural:
evilsAdjective
Base Form:
evil
Comparative:
eviler
Superlative:
evilestIdioms, Phrasal Verbs Related to Evil
- the Evil One
Origin of Evil
-
From Old English yfel, from Proto-Germanic *ubilaz (compare East Frisian eeuwel, Dutch euvel, German übel), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂upélos, diminutive of *h₂wep- (“treat badly”) (compare Hittite huwappi 'to mistreat, harass', huwappa 'evil, badness').[Cuneiform?], or alternatively from *upélos (“evil”, literally “going over or beyond (acceptable limits)”), from Proto-Indo-European *upo, *up, *eup (“down, up, over”).
From Wiktionary
-
Middle English from Old English yfel wap- in Indo-European roots
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
Find Similar Words
Find similar words to evil using the buttons below.