What does evil mean?
Evil describes what is profoundly wrong, wicked, or destructive — whether applied to people, actions, intentions, or abstract forces. As an adjective, it characterises behaviour that violates deep moral standards: an evil deed, an evil tyrant, an evil plot. As a noun, it names the quality itself, or a concrete manifestation of harm, as when politicians speak of combating 'the evils of poverty'. The word carries unusual moral gravity, rooted in centuries of religious and philosophical use, where it stands opposed to good as one half of humanity's oldest conceptual pairing. It is stronger than mere badness; calling something evil asserts not just error but corruption of intent. Beyond ethics, evil survives in fixed expressions such as the evil eye, evil twin, and choosing the lesser of two evils. Its Old English ancestor, yfel, connects English to related Germanic words for harm and excess, giving the term a lineage as old as the language itself.
Morally wrong or wicked; profoundly bad or harmful.
"The dictator committed unspeakable evil acts against his own people."
(Of something unwelcome or unpleasant) very harmful or disagreeable.
"An evil stench rose from the drains."
This extended sense is literary or somewhat dated in contemporary usage.
Profound immorality and wickedness, especially regarded as a supernatural force.
"Philosophers have long debated whether evil is a real force or merely the absence of good."
A harmful thing; something that causes injury or misfortune.
"Poverty and disease are among the great social evils of our time."
As a countable noun meaning a specific harmful thing or social problem, evil takes the regular plural 'evils'. The uncountable form refers to the abstract concept of wickedness.
"The reformer dedicated her life to fighting society's many evils."
Old English speakers didn't say 'evil' — they said 'yfel', and its ancient root may originally have meant 'up' or 'over', as in exceeding proper limits.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of evil
Evil descends from Old English yfel, which is cognate with German übel and Dutch euvel, all tracing back to Proto-Germanic *ubilaz. The deeper Indo-European origin is uncertain, though some scholars connect it to a root meaning 'up' or 'over' (as seen in Greek hyper), suggesting a sense of exceeding proper bounds. It has been part of the language since its earliest recorded stages, steadily carrying its core sense of moral badness across more than a thousand years.
Related word forms
How evil is actually used
'Evil' carries strong moral and often religious weight, making it heavier than 'bad' or 'wicked' in most registers. As an adjective describing things like smells or omens ('an evil odour'), it sounds literary or archaic to modern ears. In philosophy and theology it is a technical term distinguishing moral evil from natural evil.
Easily confused with evil
A devil is a supernatural evil being (or a mischievous person), while evil is the abstract quality of wickedness or harm.