Evilness

e·vil  (vl)

adj. e·vil·er, e·vil·est

1. Morally bad or wrong; wicked: an evil tyrant.

2. Causing ruin, injury, or pain; harmful: the evil effects of a poor diet.

3. Characterized by or indicating future misfortune; ominous: evil omens.

4. Bad or blameworthy by report; infamous: an evil reputation.

5. Characterized by anger or spite; malicious: an evil temper.

n.

1. The quality of being morally bad or wrong; wickedness.

2. That which causes harm, misfortune, or destruction: a leader's power to do both good and evil.

3. An evil force, power, or personification.

4. Something that is a cause or source of suffering, injury, or destruction: the social evils of poverty and injustice.

adv. Archaic

In an evil manner.

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[Middle English, from Old English yfel; see wap- in Indo-European roots.]

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evil·ly adv.

evil·ness n.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

evilness - the quality of being morally wrong in principle or practice; "attempts to explain the origin of evil in the world" evil malevolency, malice, malevolence - the quality of threatening evil malignance, malignancy, malignity - quality of being disposed to evil; intense ill will balefulness, maleficence, mischief - the quality or nature of being harmful or evil immorality - the quality of not being in accord with standards of right or good conduct; "the immorality of basing the defense of the West on the threat of mutual assured destruction" worst - the greatest damage or wickedness of which one is capable; "the invaders did their worst"; "so pure of heart that his worst is another man's best" nefariousness, vileness, ugliness, wickedness - the quality of being wicked reprehensibility - being reprehensible; worthy of and deserving reprehension or reproof villainousness, villainy - the quality of evil by virtue of villainous behavior perverseness, perversity - deliberately deviating from what is good; "there will always be a few people who, through macho perversity, gain satisfaction from bullying and terrorism" wrongdoing, error - departure from what is ethically acceptable vice, frailty - moral weakness good, goodness - moral excellence or admirableness; "there is much good to be found in people"