Evil
Darkness made manifest
Evil describes profound moral wrongness—not mere badness but active malevolence or corruption.
An evil deed causes serious harm; an evil person deliberately inflicts suffering.
Evil as a noun names this quality abstractly: the problem of evil, the battle between good and evil.
The word carries weight that "bad" lacks—reserved for genuine wickedness rather than minor failings.
An evil grin suggests malicious intent; evil spirits are supernatural forces of darkness.
Moral corruption or evil
- sinViolation of divine law
- malevolenceActive ill will
- immoralityQuality of being wicked
- wrongdoingUnethical or illegal action
depravity · iniquity · corruption · vice · villainy · malice · cruelty · heinousness
Malevolent supernatural being
- devilEvil supernatural entity
- SatanJudeo-Christian arch-enemy of God
- LuciferRebellious angel of Christian theology
- possessionState of owning
exorcism · curse · hex · dark magic · occult · hellspawn · Mephistopheles · Beelzebub
Defense of divine goodness
- sufferingSustained experience of distress
- free willAutonomous choice capacity
- dualismPhilosophy of opposed pairs
- original sinInherited spiritual corruption
karma · maya · Augustine · Nietzsche · nihilism · moral relativism
One who opposes another
- nemesisPersistent source of ruin
- archnemesisChief adversary, longstanding
- mastermindScheme's chief planner
- tyrantCruel, absolute ruler
dictator · overlord · warlord · monster · fiend · psychopath · sociopath · serial killer
wickedness
Moral corruption or evil
- sinViolation of divine law
- malevolenceActive ill will
- immoralityQuality of being wicked
wrongdoing · depravity · iniquity · corruption · vice · villainy · malice · cruelty · heinousness · transgression
demon
Malevolent supernatural being
- devilEvil supernatural entity
- SatanJudeo-Christian arch-enemy of God
- LuciferRebellious angel of Christian theology
possession · exorcism · curse · hex · dark magic · occult · hellspawn · Mephistopheles · Beelzebub · djinn
theodicy
Defense of divine goodness
- sufferingSustained experience of distress
- free willAutonomous choice capacity
- dualismPhilosophy of opposed pairs
original sin · karma · maya · Augustine · Nietzsche · nihilism · moral relativism
antagonist
One who opposes another
- nemesisPersistent source of ruin
- archnemesisChief adversary, longstanding
- mastermindScheme's chief planner
tyrant · dictator · overlord · warlord · monster · fiend · psychopath · sociopath · serial killer · torturer
wicked
Evil or slang-excellent
- nastyDeeply unpleasant or spiteful
- vileExtremely unpleasant or bad
- horribleExtremely bad or unpleasant
terrible · awful · dreadful · foul · rotten · mean · cruel · vicious · brutal · savage
- Horror AnthologiesCreepshow, The Twilight Zone, All Hallows Eve, Necronomicon, Darkroom
- necessary evilHarmful thing reluctantly permitted
- evil twinMorally inverted lookalike
- evil stepmotherHostile second wife to father
- pure evilTotal moral corruption
- evil geniusWicked yet brilliant schemer
- good versus evilCore ethical dichotomy