evil
Noun pluralevils (some meanings)
Pluralevils (some meanings)
- 1Very bad and cruel, wanting to hurt others or do wrong.
Like the bad character in a story who likes to hurt other people.
The story has an evil king who hurts his own people.
She decided he was an evil man after seeing what he did.
UsageWe usually say more evil and most evil.
Similarwicked, malevolent, villainous, cruel, vile
Oppositegood, virtuous, kind, benevolent
Note
- 2Great wickedness, or the bad force thought of as the opposite of good.
Like the darkness that always fights against the light.
Many old stories show good winning over evil in the end.
She believes there is far too much evil in the world.
UsageSay evil with no "a" for badness in general. Say an evil or evils for particular bad things.
Similarwickedness, sin, wrongdoing, immorality, vice
Oppositegood, goodness, virtue
Note
- 3Anything that causes pain, harm, or unhappiness to a living being.
Like a sickness that quietly takes away your happiness.
War brings great evil to everyone it touches.
He spent his life fighting the evil of hunger in his own town.
UsageOften in fixed phrases like a necessary evil (something bad you must accept) and the lesser of two evils.
Similarill, scourge, affliction, blight, curse
Note
- 4Bringing or warning of bad luck, sadness, or harm.
Like dark clouds that warn a big storm is coming.
The travelers felt that an evil time was coming for them.
Some villagers believed a howling dog at night was an evil omen.
UsageMostly used in fixed phrases like evil days and an evil omen.
Similarunlucky, inauspicious, ill-fated, ominous, ill
Oppositelucky, auspicious, favorable
Note
Less common meanings
- 5
- 6In computers, something that is bad practice and best avoided.
Like a quick fix that helps today but causes bigger problems later.
Using global variables everywhere is considered evil in our codebase.
That shortcut is evil because it works now but breaks things later.
UsageIn formal writing, say discouraged or harmful instead.
Similarbad, harmful, dangerous
Oppositegood
Note
- 7Harmful, or bad and worth nothing.
A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit.
1611, The Holy Bible, King James VersionHere, evil means bad or worthless, not good to use.an evil beast; an evil plant; an evil crop
Here, evil means bad, harmful, or of poor quality.Note
- 8An old word meaning badly, wickedly or in a harmful way.
But (as the Poet ſaith) Malè ſarta gratia, nequicquam coit, & reſcinditur: Friendſhip, that is but euill peeced, will not ioine cloſe, but falleth aſunder againe:
1570, William Lambard, quoting HoraceHere, euill means badly or poorly.It went evil with him.
Here, evil means badly, in a harmful way.Note
- 9A disease or sickness, especially in old names like king's evil.
[The disease]Tis call'd the Euill.
c. 1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”Here, Euill means a disease or sickness.He [Edward the Confessor] was the first that touched for the evil.
1711, [Joseph Addison; Richard Steele et al.], “TUESDAY, March 13, 1710–1711”Here, evil means a disease, a particular sickness.Note
Showing meanings only.
Practice
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Origins
From Old English yfel, meaning 'evil' or 'bad'. It goes back through old Germanic words and is related to German übel and Dutch euvel.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
- Evil descends from Old English yfel, meaning 'evil' or 'bad'. en.wiktionary.org
- The word has earlier Germanic ancestry. en.wiktionary.org
- Evil is related to German übel and Dutch euvel. en.wiktionary.org
From Old English yfele, meaning 'badly', which came from the adjective yfel ('bad, evil'). Later it was often treated as a noun.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 4 facts
- The adverb derives from Old English yfele, meaning 'badly'. en.wiktionary.org
- Old English yfele derives from yfel. en.wiktionary.org
- Old English yfel was an adjective meaning 'bad, evil'. en.wiktionary.org
- The adverb was often subsequently treated as a noun. en.wiktionary.org