evil
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evil¹
- /ˈiːvəl/ Canada, US, UK
- [ˈɪi̯vəl] ~ [ˈɪi̯vl̩] Canada, US, UK
- /ˈiːvɪl/ obsolete
- /ɪvəl/ obsolete
Rhymes with -iːvəl
Where it comes from
From Middle English yvel, evel, ivel, uvel, from Old English yfel, from Proto-West Germanic *ubil, from Proto-Germanic *ubilaz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂up(h₁)élos, a deverbal derivative of *h₂wep(h₁)-, *h₂wop(h₁)- (“treat badly”). See -le for the supposed suffix.
Alternatively from *upélos (“evil”, literally “going over or beyond (acceptable limits)”), from Proto-Indo-European *upo, *h₃ewp- (“down, up, over”).
Cognates
Cognate with Dutch euvel (“evil”), German übel (“bad, evil”), German Low German övel (“evil”), Luxembourgish iwwel (“queasy, nauseous; bad”), Gothic 𐌿𐌱𐌹𐌻𐍃 (ubils, “bad, evil”). Compare Old Irish fel (“bad, evil”), from Proto-Celtic *uɸelos, and Hittite 𒄷𒉿𒀊𒍣 (huwapp-ⁱ, “to mistreat, harass”), 𒄷𒉿𒀊𒉺𒀸 (huwappa-, “evil, badness”).
adjective eviller · eviler · more evil · evillest · evilest · most evil
- Intending to harm; malevolent. an evil plot to brainwash and even kill innocent people
- Morally corrupt. If something is evil, it is never mandatory.
- Unpleasant, foul (of odor, taste, mood, weather, etc.). 1660, John Harding (translator), Paracelsus his Archidoxis, London: W.S., Book 7, “Of an Odoriferous Specifick,” p. 100, An Odoriferous Specifick […] is a Matter that takes away Diseases from the Sick, no otherwise then as Civet drives away the stinck of Ordure by its Odour; for you are to observe,
- Producing or threatening sorrow, distress, injury, or calamity; unpropitious; calamitous. The owl shrieked at thy birth,—an evil sign;
- Having harmful qualities; not good; worthless or deleterious. an evil beast; an evil plant; an evil crop
- Undesirable; harmful; bad practice. Global variables are evil; storing processing context in object member variables allows those objects to be reused in a much more flexible way.
Similar: nefarious, malicious, malevolent, wicked, abandoned, arrant, bad, bad apple, bad seed, baleful, scurrilous, baneful, base, black-hearted, dark, deleterious, demonic, depraved, despicable, detrimental, devilish, diabolical, evil, evil-minded, facinorous, flagitious, harmful, heinous, ill-intentioned, ill-natured · Opposite: good, angelic, benign, good-minded, just, moral, righteous, well-intentioned
noun evils
-
Moral badness; wickedness; malevolence; the forces or behaviors that are the opposite or enemy of good.
The evils of society include murder and theft.
Similar: enormity
- Something which impairs the happiness of a being or deprives a being of any good; something which causes suffering of any kind to sentient beings; harm; injury; mischief. evils which our own misdeeds have wrought
- A malady or disease; especially in combination, as in king's evil, colt evil. [The disease]Tis call'd the Euill.
Opposite: good
evil²
- /ˈiːvəl/ Canada, US, UK
- [ˈɪi̯vəl] ~ [ˈɪi̯vl̩] Canada, US, UK
- /ˈiːvɪl/ obsolete
- /ɪvəl/ obsolete
Rhymes with -iːvəl
Where it comes from
From Middle English yvele, yvel, ivel, from Old English yfele (“badly, evilly”), a derivative of the adjective yfel (“bad, evil”). Often reinterpreted as the noun in the later language (as in "to speak evil").
adverb more evil · most evil
- wickedly, evilly, iniquitously O what of Gods then boots it to be borne, / If old Aveugles ſonnes ſo euill heare?
- injuriously, harmfully; in a damaging way. And many ſhall follow their pernicious wayes, by reaſon of whom the way of trueth ſhall be euill ſpoken of:
- badly, poorly; in an insufficient way. It went evil with him.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: malefic, maleficent, malign, malevolent, evil-minded, flagitious, wickedness, diabolical, iniquity, sinister, despicable, immorality, depraved, unholy, wicked, heinous
adjective
Similar: nefarious, malicious, malevolent, wicked, abandoned, arrant, bad, bad apple, bad seed, baleful, scurrilous, baneful, base, black-hearted, dark, deleterious, demonic, depraved, despicable, detrimental, devilish, diabolical, evil, evil-minded, facinorous, flagitious, harmful, heinous, ill-intentioned, ill-natured · Opposite: good, angelic, benign, good-minded, just, moral, righteous, well-intentioned
noun
Opposite: good
Translations
Every language
adj intending to harm
| Español | malo, malvado, malévolo, maléfico, perverso |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 사악하다 saakhada, 악랄하다 angnalhada |
| 日本語 | 悪い warui, 邪心 jashin, 邪悪な jaaku na |
| 中文 | 邪惡的 /邪恶的 xié'è de, 壞的 /坏的 huài de, 凶狠 xiōnghěn |
| हिन्दी | दुष्ट duṣṭ, बुरा burā, पापी pāpī |
| Kiswahili | -baya |
| Português | mau, maléfico, malvado |
| Français | mauvais, maléfique, méchant, infâme |
| Deutsch | böse, übel |
| Italiano | malvagio, malevolo, maligno, malefico, perverso, diabolico |
| Ελληνικά | κακός kakós |
| Română | rău, răutăcios, hain, câinos |
| Русский | злой zloj |
| Tiếng Việt | ác |
| العربية | شِرِّير širrīr, شَرِير šarīr |
| עברית | רע, מרושע merusha |
adj morally corrupt
| Español | malo, malvado, escelerado, celerado |
|---|---|
| हिन्दी | दुष्ट duṣṭ |
| Português | mal, malvado |
| Français | malfaisant |
| Italiano | malvagio, cattivo, malevolo, corrotto |
| Ελληνικά | κακός kakós, φαύλος fávlos |
| Română | rău, depravat, decăzut, desfrânat |
| Русский | поро́чный poróčnyj |
| العربية | شِرِّير širrīr, شَرِير šarīr |
| עברית | רשע |
adj unpleasant, foul (smell, taste)
| Français | mauvais |
|---|
noun moral badness, wickedness
| Español | mal |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 악 ak, 사악 saak, 악랄 angnal |
| 日本語 | 邪悪 jaaku, 邪心 jashin, 悪 aku |
| 中文 | 邪惡 /邪恶 xié'è, 惡 /恶 è |
| हिन्दी | बुराई burāī, दुष्टता duṣṭatā, बदी badī |
| Português | mal |
| Français | mal |
| Deutsch | Böse, Übel |
| Italiano | male, malevolenza, malignità |
| Ελληνικά | κακό kakó, κακία kakía |
| Română | rău, răutate |
| Русский | зло zlo, ли́хо líxo, ху́до xúdo |
| Tiếng Việt | cái ác |
| العربية | شَرّ šarr, سَوْء sawʔ |
| עברית | רַע ra, רָעָה ra'á, רֶשַׁע résha |
noun impairment of happiness or well-being
| العربية | شَرّ šarr |
|---|
Talk about this word "evil." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/evil. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. evil. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/evil "evil." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/evil.Cite this
@misc{evil_2026,
title = {evil},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/evil},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
