root of all evil
Greed's biblical label
The root of all evil is the underlying cause of all wrongdoing or corruption.
The phrase comes from a Bible verse about money—often misquoted as "money is the root of all evil" rather than "the love of money." Used broadly to identify any fundamental source of problems: Social media is the root of all evil in modern dating.
The expression typically carries some exaggeration or irony.
- love of moneyObsessive desire for riches
- selfishnessExcessive concern for oneself
- golden calfSymbol of misplaced worship
- capitalismPrivate profit-based economy
- serpentCunning, limbless reptile
greed · filthy lucre · almighty dollar · forbidden fruit · immorality · corruption · ill-gotten gains · ambition · oppression · materialism · exploitation · vice · Pandora's box · pride · colonialism · envy · seven deadly sins · inequality
- greedgreed, avarice, covetousness, cupidity, materialism
root of all eviltree of life
Diagram of evolutionary connections
bread of life · love of God · divine love · charity · faith
root of all eviltree of life
Diagram of evolutionary connections
holy grail · divine grace · God's love · salvation · redemption
root, roots, rooted, rooting, rootless, evil, evils, evilly, evilness