evil

views updated

e·vil / ˈēvəl/ • adj. profoundly immoral and malevolent: his evil deeds. ∎  (of something seen or smelled) extremely unpleasant: a bathroom with an evil smell.• n. profound immorality, wickedness, and depravity, esp. when regarded as a supernatural force: good and evil in eternal opposition.PHRASES: the evil eye a gaze or stare superstitiously believed to cause material harm: he gave me the evil eye as I walked down the corridor.the Evil One archaic the Devil.speak evil of slander: it is a sin to speak evil of the king.DERIVATIVES: e·vil·ly / ˈēvəl(l)ē/ adv.e·vil·ness n.

More From encyclopedia.com