evils

NOUN

badness, immorality; disaster

Synonyms

STRONGEST

calamity catastrophe corruption crime harm hatred ill misery pain sin suffering wrong

STRONG

affliction baseness blow criminality curse debauchery depravity devilry diabolism heinousness hurt impiety indecency infamy iniquity injury knavery lewdness licentiousness looseness malevolence malignity meanness mischief misfortune obscenity outrage perversity ruin sinfulness sorrow turpitude vice viciousness vileness villainy wickedness woe wrongdoing

WEAK

diablerie

Antonyms

STRONGEST

advantage benefit blessing boon cheer comfort fortune good fortune good luck goodness happiness health joy kindness pleasure profit

STRONG

aid benevolence cleanness decency good help innocence modesty morality nobility propriety purity relief uprightness virtue

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.

At its peak, there were over 6,000 Shakers, joining Ann in rebuking the gruesome, incalculable evils of war and preaching moral generosity.

From Salon • Dec. 27, 2025

"It comes down to choosing the lesser of two evils."

From Barron's • Dec. 20, 2025

Bobi Wine defended Ampe, saying he was using social media to "expose corruption, abuse of power, oppression of lower ranking officers and other evils within the Uganda Prisons Service".

From BBC • Dec. 19, 2025

“The real evils in war,” St. Augustine once wrote, are “love of violence, revengeful cruelty, fierce and implacable enmity, wild resistance, and the lust of power.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 16, 2025

Eventually Massasoit concluded that he possibly should ally with them—compared to the Narragansett, they were the lesser of two evils.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann