Evil — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective noun adverb /ˈē-vəl/

Meaning & Definition of Evil

Evil (adjective)

  1. morally reprehensible, sinful, wicked
  2. arising from actual or imputed bad character or conduct
  3. inferior

Evil (noun)

  1. the fact of suffering, misfortune, and wrongdoing
  2. a cosmic evil force
  3. something that brings sorrow, distress, or calamity—often used in the plural

Evil (adverb)

  1. in an evil manner

Evil (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. that which is morally unacceptable

    "our free will allows us to choose between good and evil"

    similar: bad, evildoing, ill, immorality, iniquity, sin, villainy, wrong
    related: atrociousness, atrocity, badness, balefulness, darkness, depravedness, devilishness, diabolism, enormity, evilness, heinousness, iniquitousness, satanism, sinfulness, vileness, wickedness, devilry, fiendishness, cancer, canker, decay, rot, squalor, corruption, debauchery, degeneracy, depravity, indecency, malefaction, perversion, pervertedness, scurrility, scurrilousness, abomination, anathema, taboo
    opposite: good, morality, right, virtue
    near: decency, goodness, honesty, integrity, probity, rectitude, uprightness, righteousness, virtuousness

Evil (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. causing or capable of causing harm

    "drank an evil potion"

    similar: adverse, bad, baleful, baneful, damaging, dangerous, deleterious, detrimental, harmful, hurtful, ill, injurious, mischievous, nocuous, noxious, pernicious, prejudicial, wicked
    related: hostile, inimical, unfriendly, contagious, deadly, infectious, infective, pestiferous, pestilent, pestilential, poisonous, venomous, insidious, menacing, ominous, sinister, threatening, hazardous, imperiling, jeopardizing, parlous, perilous, risky, unsafe, unsound, nasty, noisome, unhealthful, unhealthy, unwholesome, destructive, fatal, killer, lethal, malignant, ruinous
    opposite: anodyne, benign, harmless, hurtless, innocent, innocuous, inoffensive, safe
    near: advantageous, beneficial, useful, favorable, good, propitious, curative, healthful, healthy, helpful, palliative, remedial, salubrious, salutary, wholesome, secure, sound, benignant, noncorrosive, nondestructive, nonfatal, noninfectious, nonlethal, nonpoisonous, nonpolluting, nontoxic, nonvenomous

  2. not conforming to a high moral standard; morally unacceptable

    "their evil deeds rank among the worst in history"

    similar: bad, dark, immoral, iniquitous, nefarious, rotten, sinful, unethical, unlawful, unrighteous, unsavory, vicious, vile, villainous, wicked, wrong
    related: base, contemptible, despicable, dirty, disreputable, evil-minded, ignoble, ill, infernal, low, mean, snide, sordid, atrocious, cruel, infamous, nasty, blamable, blameworthy, censurable, objectionable, obscene, offensive, reprehensible, corrupt, debased, debauched, degenerate, depraved, dissolute, libertine, loose, low-minded, perverted, reprobate, scrofulous, sick, unhealthy, cursed, cussed, defiling, noxious, pernicious, pestilential, ugly, ungodly, unwholesome, banned, barred, condemned, discouraged, forbidden, illegal, interdicted, outlawed, prohibited, proscribed, unauthorized, unclean, disallowed, execrable, lousy, miserable, wretched, errant, erring, fallen, unprincipled, unscrupulous, improper, incorrect, indecent, indecorous, naughty, unbecoming, unseemly, vulgar, dishonest, dishonorable
    opposite: decent, ethical, good, honest, honorable, just, moral, right, righteous, sublime, upright, virtuous
    near: elevated, high, high-minded, law-abiding, legitimate, lofty, noble, principled, reputable, scrupulous, allowed, authorized, legal, licensed, permissible, permitted, approved, endorsed, sanctioned, abetted, encouraged, promoted, supported, clean, correct, decent, decorous, exemplary, proper, seemly, blameless, commendable, creditable, guiltless, chaste, immaculate, incorruptible, innocent, inoffensive, irreproachable, lily-white, perfect, pure, spotless, squeaky-clean, uncorrupted, unerring, unfallen, unobjectionable, venerable, white, wholesome, esteemed, respected, upstanding, worthy

  3. causing intense displeasure, disgust, or resentment

    "she refused to eat olives or anything which had their evil flavor"

    similar: abhorrent, abominable, appalling, awful, disgusting, distasteful, dreadful, foul, fulsome, gross, hideous, horrendous, horrible, horrid, loathsome, nasty, nauseating, nauseous, noisome, noxious, obnoxious, obscene, odious, offensive, rancid, repellent, repugnant, repulsive, revolting, scandalous, shocking, sickening, ugly
    related: exceptionable, objectionable, brackish, disagreeable, dislikable, unpleasant, contemptible, despicable, detestable, hard, hateful, unhealthy, unsavory, unwholesome, execrable, lousy, miserable, atrocious, frightful, ghastly, grim, grisly, gruesome, heinous, horrific, horrifying, lurid, macabre, monstrous, nightmarish, sick, sickish, sickly, terrible, unspeakable, vile, off-putting, undesirable, unwanted, unwelcome, barbarous, unchristian, uncivilized, ungodly, unholy, distressing, disturbing, upsetting
    opposite: innocuous, inoffensive
    near: acceptable, agreeable, alluring, appealing, attractive, blessed, congenial, darling, delectable, delicious, delightful, delightsome, desirable, dreamy, dulcet, enjoyable, felicitous, gratifying, heavenly, inviting, likable, luscious, nice, palatable, pleasant, pleasing, pleasurable, satisfying, savory, sweet, welcome, unexceptionable, unobjectionable, healthful, healthy, restorative, salubrious, salutary, wholesome

Related Entry: Evil eye (noun)

Evil eye is a different word from Evil. The synonyms below are for evil eye, not for evil.

  1. as in spell, curse

    similar: curse, pox, spell, voodoo, Jonah, augury, omen, portent, hex, hoodoo, Indian sign (chiefly British), jinx, whammy
    opposite: amulet, charm, fetish, talisman

Related Entry: Evil eyes (noun)

Evil eyes is a different word from Evil. The synonyms below are for evil eyes, not for evil.

  1. as in spells, curses

    similar: curses, pox, spells, voodoos, Jonahs, auguries, omens, portents, hexes, hoodoos, Indian signs (chiefly British), jinxes, whammies
    opposite: amulets, charms, fetishes, talismans

Related Entry: Evil-minded (adjective)

Evil-minded is a different word from Evil. The synonyms below are for evil-minded, not for evil.

  1. as in ignoble, contemptible

    similar: base, contemptible, despicable, dirty, disreputable, ignoble, ill, infernal, low, mean, snide, sordid, bad, dark, evil, immoral, iniquitous, nefarious, rotten, sinful, unethical, unlawful, unrighteous, unsavory, vicious, vile, villainous, wicked, wrong, atrocious, cruel, infamous, nasty, blamable, blameworthy, censurable, objectionable, obscene, offensive, reprehensible, corrupt, debased, debauched, degenerate, depraved, dissolute, libertine, loose, low-minded, perverted, reprobate, scrofulous, sick, unhealthy, cursed, cussed, defiling, noxious, pernicious, pestilential, ugly, ungodly, unwholesome, banned, barred, condemned, discouraged, forbidden, illegal, interdicted, outlawed, prohibited, proscribed, unauthorized, unclean, disallowed, execrable, lousy, miserable, wretched, errant, erring, fallen, unprincipled, unscrupulous
    opposite: decent, ethical, good, honest, honorable, just, moral, right, righteous, sublime, upright, virtuous, elevated, high, high-minded, law-abiding, legitimate, lofty, noble, principled, reputable, scrupulous, allowed, authorized, legal, licensed, permissible, permitted, approved, endorsed, sanctioned, abetted, encouraged, promoted, supported, clean, correct, decorous, exemplary, proper, seemly, blameless, commendable, creditable, guiltless, chaste, immaculate, incorruptible, innocent, inoffensive, irreproachable, lily-white, perfect, pure, spotless, squeaky-clean, uncorrupted, unerring, unfallen, unobjectionable, venerable, white, wholesome, esteemed, respected, upstanding, worthy

Related Entry: Evil-mindedly (adverb)

Evil-mindedly is a different word from Evil. The synonyms below are for evil-mindedly, not for evil.

  1. as in cruelly, ruthlessly

    similar: balefully, caddishly, callously, cruelly, felly, hard-heartedly, heartlessly, inhumanely, kindlessly, mercilessly, pitilessly, ruthlessly, soullessly, unfeelingly, bitterly, enviously, jealously, resentfully, disagreeably, ill, ungraciously, unkindly, acrimoniously, antagonistically, caustically, envyingly, hostilely, invidiously, obnoxiously, rancorously, venomously, vindictively, vituperatively, ill-naturedly, inconsiderately, insensitively, thoughtlessly, contemptuously, deprecatingly, disdainfully, scornfully, diabolically, fiendishly, bitchily, cattily, despitefully, hatefully, malevolently, maliciously, malignantly, meanly, nastily, spitefully, viciously, villainously, virulently, wickedly, misanthropically
    opposite: benevolently, benignantly, good-heartedly, kindheartedly, kindly, affably, agreeably, amiably, cordially, genially, good-humoredly, good-naturedly, graciously, nicely, pleasantly, altruistically, humanely, considerately, feelingly, lovingly, mercifully, sensitively, softheartedly, solicitously, soulfully, thoughtfully, compassionately, sympathetically, angelically, divinely, gently, sweetly, tenderly

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Evil

The most common words with a similar meaning to Evil:

bad, evildoing, ill, immorality, iniquity, sin, villainy, wrong, adverse, baleful, baneful, damaging, dangerous, deleterious, detrimental, harmful, hurtful, injurious, mischievous, nocuous, noxious, pernicious, prejudicial, wicked, dark, immoral, iniquitous, nefarious, rotten, sinful, unethical, unlawful, unrighteous, unsavory, vicious, vile, villainous, abhorrent, abominable, appalling

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Evil

Words with the opposite meaning of Evil:

good, morality, right, virtue, anodyne, benign, harmless, hurtless, innocent, innocuous, inoffensive, safe, decent, ethical, honest, honorable, just, moral, righteous, sublime, upright, virtuous

Related Words for Evil

atrociousness, atrocity, badness, balefulness, darkness, depravedness, devilishness, diabolism, enormity, evilness, heinousness, iniquitousness, satanism, sinfulness, vileness, wickedness, devilry, fiendishness, cancer, canker, decay, rot, squalor, corruption, debauchery, degeneracy, depravity, indecency, malefaction, perversion

Near Antonyms of Evil

decency, goodness, honesty, integrity, probity, rectitude, uprightness, righteousness, virtuousness, advantageous, beneficial, useful, favorable, propitious, curative, healthful, healthy, helpful, palliative, remedial, salubrious, salutary, wholesome, secure, sound, benignant, noncorrosive, nondestructive, nonfatal, noninfectious

Word Forms of Evil

Inflections: eviler, eviller, evilest, evillest

Derived words: evilly (adverb), evilness (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Evil

Middle English, from Old English yfel; akin to Old High German ubil evil

First known use: before 12th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Evil

Words & Phrases Containing Evil

evil eye, evil-minded, king's evil, the evil eye

Frequently Asked Questions about Evil

What does "Evil" mean?

"Evil" means morally reprehensible, sinful, wicked. As an an adjective, a noun and an adverb, it is defined as: morally reprehensible, sinful, wicked. It has 4 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Evil"?

Other words for "Evil" include bad, evildoing, ill, immorality, iniquity, sin, villainy and wrong. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Evil" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Evil"?

There are 243 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Evil". Common alternatives include bad, evildoing, ill, immorality, iniquity, sin, villainy, wrong, adverse and baleful.

What is the opposite of "Evil"?

Antonyms of "Evil" include good, morality, right, virtue, anodyne, benign, harmless and hurtless. Near antonyms include decency, goodness, honesty and integrity.

How do you use "Evil" in a sentence?

Examples of "Evil" in a sentence: "our free will allows us to choose between good and evil"; "drank an evil potion"; "their evil deeds rank among the worst in history".

Is "Evil" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Evil" can be used as an adjective, a noun and an adverb, depending on the context.

Is "Evil" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a B2-level word, "Evil" is typical of Cambridge B2 First (FCE), IELTS band 5.5–6.5, TOEFL iBT 72–94, PTE Academic 59–75, TOEIC Listening & Reading 785+.

How do you pronounce "Evil"?

"Evil" is pronounced /ˈē-vəl/.