Synonyms of evil
62 similar words · 8 opposite words
Another word for evil is abandoned. Other synonyms of evil are evil-minded, wicked, black-hearted, malicious and despicable. The opposite of evil is just.
Synonyms and similar words for evil
nounMoral badness; wickedness; malevolence; the forces or behaviors that are the opposite or enemy of...
- enormityA breach of law or morality; a transgression, an act of evil or wickedness.
adjectiveMore synonyms
- nefariousSinful, villainous, criminal, or wicked, especially when noteworthy or notorious for such characteristics.
- maliciousIntending to do harm; characterized by spite and malice.
- malevolentHaving or displaying ill will; wishing harm on others.
- wickedEvil or mischievous by nature; morally reprehensible.
- abandonedHaving given oneself up to vice; immoral; extremely wicked, or sinning without restraint; irreclaimably wicked.
- badEvil; wicked.
- bad appleA person who is not wholesome, honest, or trustworthy, especially one who has an adverse influence on others.
- bad seed
- balefulPortending evil; ominous.
- scurrilousUnscrupulous, evil.
- baneful
- baseMorally reprehensible, immoral; cowardly.
- black-heartedHaving a wicked, malignant disposition; morally bad.
- darkWithout moral or spiritual light; sinister, malevolent, malign.
- deleterious
- demonicExtremely cruel or evil; abhorrent or repugnant; diabolical.
- depraved
- despicableFit or deserving to be despised; contemptible; mean.
- detrimentalCausing damage or harm.
- devilishEvil, wicked.
- diabolicalExtremely wicked or cruel.
- evil-mindedHaving evil thoughts or intentions.
- flagitious literary
- harmfulCausing or likely to cause harm or damage; injurious.
- heinousBad, evil or villainous.
- ill-intentionedHaving bad intentions; malevolent.
- ill-natured
- immoralBreaching principles of natural law, rectitude, or justice, and so inconsistent with the demands of virtue, purity, or...
- incorrigible
- iniquitousMorally objectionable; sinful, wicked.
- injurious
- knavishHaving the characteristics of a knave; mischievous, roguish, waggish, rascally or impertinent.
- maleficHaving an evil or harmful influence; baleful.
- maleficentHarmful or evil in intent or effect.
- malignEvil or malignant in disposition, nature, intent or influence.
- malignant
- no-goodHaving no value, use or merit.
- peccaminousSinful.
- pernicious
- reprehensible
- reprobate
- satanicEvil, fiendish, devilish or diabolical.
- scathful
- sinfulConstituting a sin; morally or religiously wrong; wicked; evil.
- sinisterEvil or seemingly evil; indicating lurking danger or harm.
- sordid
- ungodlyImmoral, sinful, or wicked.
- unholyNot holy; (by extension) evil, impure, or otherwise perverted.
- vicious
- vile
- villainous
- wrong
- arrant datedVery bad; despicable.
- facinorous archaicExtremely wicked.
- iniquous obsoleteSynonym of iniquitous.
- naughty archaic, rareEvil, wicked, morally reprehensible.
- niddering archaicSynonym of nithing (“cowardly, dastardly; notoriously evil or wicked; infamous”).
- nidering archaic
- niding archaic
- nithing archaicNotoriously evil or wicked; infamous.
- sullen obsoleteMischievous; malignant; unpropitious.
Opposite of evil
adjectiveMore antonyms
- good
- angelic
- benign
- good-minded
- just
- moral
- righteous
- well-intentionedHaving good intentions, even if producing unfortunate results.
Meaning of evil
- adjective Intending to harm; malevolent.
- adjective Morally corrupt.
- adjective Unpleasant, foul (of odor, taste, mood, weather, etc.).
evil in other languages
Questions about synonyms of evil
- What is another word for evil?
- Evil has 62 synonyms on Word.ws, such as abandoned, evil-minded, wicked, black-hearted, malicious, despicable, satanic and sinister.
- What is the opposite of evil?
- The opposite of evil is just. Other antonyms of evil are good and well-intentioned.
- What does evil mean?
- Evil means intending to harm; malevolent.
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: evil (page history and authors) and the entries of the words listed. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws grouped the synonyms and antonyms by meaning and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Cite this page: “Synonyms of evil.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/synonyms/evil. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.