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evil

[ee-vuhl] / ˈi vəl /




Usage

What are other ways to say evil?

Evil applies to that which violates or leads to the violation of moral law: evil practices. Ill now appears mainly in certain fixed expressions, with a milder implication than that in evil: ill will; ill-natured. Wicked implies willful and determined doing of what is very wrong: a wicked plan. Bad is the broadest and simplest term: a bad man; bad habits. 

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

In much the way he finessed a truth about art facing evil in “Poetry,” the camera here is both predatory and a tool for catharsis.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026

Paul Mackenzie said education was forbidden and modern medicine was "evil"

From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026

"It's the classic fight between good and evil," Beyaz says.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026

Throughout human history, evil people and tyrannical states have used the latest technology to cause massive harm.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

Soon, Fairbanks was cornering office mates with wild talk about good and evil spirits.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

But he was outperformed citywide, leaving Palisades voters with a choice some liken to picking the lesser of two evils: Mayor Karen Bass or Councilmember Nithya Raman.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026

And coming from the field of disinformation in particular, A.I. is a Pandora’s box of yet-to-be-imagined evils.

From Slate ● Aug. 26, 2026

Nolan uses this adjustment to build out the film’s emotional throughline: an extended rumination on the evils of war and the repugnance of men.

From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026

He notes that “complaints about the evils of consumerism have long been a staple among intellectuals, but I see evil only in its excesses.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 2, 2026

I'm able to haul him back onto the horn where we drag ourselves toward the top where the lesser of two evils awaits.

From "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins


Vocabulary lists containing evil

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