Evil: English Vocabulary List

an action, behavior, or entity that is extremely wicked, evil, or morally reprehensible

"His act was a monstrosity."

"That ugly modern building is a monstrosity that ruins the beauty of the historic old town center."

an unreasonable opinion or judgment based on dislike felt for a person, group, etc., particularly because of their race, sex, etc.

"Education can reduce social prejudice effectively"

"Prejudice based on race or religion leads to discrimination and social injustice in society."

a mark of shame attached to a person or condition, often resulting in exclusion or discrimination

"Social stigma exists."

"There is still a strong social stigma attached to mental health problems in many societies."

the act of taking excessive pride in one's own achievements or abilities

"His vanity was immense."

"His vanity is huge and he spends hours every day looking at himself in the mirror."

the deliberate killing of a famous or important person, often for political or ideological reasons

"Political assassination happened."

"The political assassination of the president shocked the entire nation and changed history forever."

the state of having a widespread negative reputation due to a bad or disapproving behavior or characteristic

"The criminal gained notoriety."

"He gained sudden notoriety after his controversial video spread quickly on social media platforms."

the act of showing disloyalty to someone's trust

"The general was punished for his treachery."

"The general was executed for treachery after it was discovered that he had been selling military secrets to the enemy for years."

secret agreement particularly made to deceive people

"Secret collusion existed."

"Secret collusion between the company and government officials was discovered during the investigation."

the quality of being dishonest and misleading

"Her deceitfulness was finally exposed."

"The salesman's deceitfulness was finally exposed when customers discovered that the "genuine leather" bags were actually made of cheap plastic."

a cunning or deceptive strategy or action intended to deceive or trick someone

"Clever ruse worked."

"The clever ruse worked perfectly and helped the spy escape from the dangerous situation safely."

a behavior or treatment that is unjust and unfair

"The protest was against social injustice."

"The protesters marched through the streets to demand an end to the injustice that had allowed wealthy criminals to escape punishment for their crimes."

a deliberate action or treatment that causes physical or mental pain or suffering in others

"Cruelty to animals is a crime."

"Animal cruelty is wrong and should be punished by law in every country."

a violent act marked by extreme cruelty and aggression

"Act of savagery."

"The act of savagery during the war shocked the whole world and was condemned by many countries."

giving an impression that is misleading, false, or deceitful, often leading to misunderstanding or mistaken belief

"The smile was deceptive."

"The company used deceptive advertising to make their products seem more effective than they actually were and many customers felt cheated after buying them."

dishonest or deceitful, often involving illegal or unethical actions intended to deceive others

"The claim is fraudulent."

"The fraudulent website looked like a real bank page and many customers entered their passwords before realizing it was a scam."

acting in a way that is different from what one claims to believe or value

"His behavior is hypocritical."

"The hypocritical politician preached about honesty while secretly lying to his constituents and taking bribes from corporations."

having no moral principles and willing to do anything to achieve one's goals

"The lawyer is unscrupulous."

"The unscrupulous businessman cheated his partners out of millions of dollars and he fled the country before the police could arrest him."

extremely evil or shockingly wicked in a way that deeply disturbs or offends

"The crime is heinous."

"The heinous crime shocked the entire community and people demanded that the murderer receive the harshest possible punishment under the law."

showing a lack of interest or respect by ignoring or minimizing someone or something's importance

"She was dismissive."

"The dismissive wave of his hand showed that he did not care about her opinion and she felt hurt by his attitude."

having an unfair or harsh control over others, often involving cruelty or severe restrictions

"The regime was oppressive."

"The dictator's oppressive regime maintained power through fear and constant surveillance of its citizens."

unfair and lacking a valid reason

"The criticism is unwarranted."

"The unwarranted criticism from her boss made her feel angry because she had worked very hard on the project and done everything correctly."

wickedly cruel and inhuman

"The plan is fiendish."

"The fiendish grin on the villain's face revealed his evil intentions and the hero knew that he was walking into a trap."

persuasive in a way that is deceitful

"His answer was glib."

"The glib salesman promised that the product would solve all of her problems but she knew that he was just trying to make a sale."

having an indecent quality or being socially unacceptable in expression

"His joke is vulgar."

"The vulgar joke offended many people at the party and the host asked the guest to leave."

well-known for a bad quality or deed

"He is an infamous criminal."

"The infamous criminal was known around the world for his terrible crimes and the police finally caught him after ten years."

involving behaviors, actions, or decisions that are morally wrong

"His actions are unethical."

"The unethical doctor performed unnecessary procedures to make more money and he lost his medical license."

extremely unusual or unconventional in a way that is shocking

"The price is outrageous."

"The price of the designer handbag was outrageous and she could not believe that anyone would pay five thousand dollars for something made of leather."

causing a lot of strong public disagreement or discussion

"A controversial decision."

"The controversial decision to build the factory near the school angered many parents and teachers in the community."

inclined to argue or provoke disagreement

"The topic is contentious."

"The contentious debate about immigration policy lasted for three hours and neither side was willing to compromise on their positions at all."

involving a lof of blood and violence

"The movie is gory."

"The gory horror movie showed blood and guts in graphic detail and many audience members covered their eyes."

to deceive a person so that they do what one wants

"The magician tricks the audience easily."

"The dishonest salesman tried to trick the elderly woman into buying a worthless insurance policy."

to claim or suggest something, often falsely or without proof

"The email purports to be from the bank."

"The email purports to be from the bank but it is actually a scam designed to steal your personal information."

to betray a person that one is in cooperation with, often when they want to do something illegal together

"Don't double-cross me."

"He was arrested for attempting to double-cross his accomplices in the elaborate bank heist."

to kill a large number of people, often in a harsh and heartless manner

"They will slaughter them."

"The invading army was accused of committing a brutal slaughter of innocent civilians during the conflict."

to take valuables by force

"The army despoiled the conquered city."

"The invading army proceeded to despoil the village and steal everything of value."

to make a false copy of something with the intent to deceive

"He counterfeited dollar bills in his basement."

"The criminal was arrested for trying to counterfeit one hundred dollar bills in his basement."

to take and use the work, words or ideas of someone else without referencing them

"Do not plagiarize from internet sources."

"The student was expelled for trying to plagiarize his entire final paper from an online source without citing it properly."

in a way that is widely known or recognized typically for negative reasons

"The area is notoriously dangerous at night."

"The area is notoriously dangerous at night so it is best to avoid walking there alone after dark."

the state of being reluctant to accept ideas, thoughts, or behaviors that differ from one's own

"Intolerance leads to conflict."

"Religious intolerance is bad because it creates hatred and violence between different communities in society."

a secret plan, particularly one that is made to deceive other people

"A secret scheme."

"The criminals devised a cunning scheme to rob the bank without being caught."

the act of betraying someone or something's trust or loyalty

"That is treason against the king."

"The soldier was accused of treason for leaking classified military information to the enemy."

the process of abandoning moral principles and behaving immorally

"Corruption is a big problem."

"The politician's career ended due to widespread allegations of corruption and bribery."

a person who is cruel, violent, or lacking in human sensibility

"The brute attacked him."

"The brute force of the storm uprooted trees and tore the roofs off houses."

the state of being made to feel ashamed or losing respect and dignity, often in front of others

"He felt humiliation."

"The public humiliation of the disgraced athlete deeply affected his mental well-being."

separation from accepted norms, standards, or expected patterns of conduct

"Small deviation occurred."

"There was only a small deviation from the original plan during the construction project last year."

the extreme brutality of an action or behavior

"It was an atrocity."

"The war crimes tribunal investigated the horrific atrocity committed against the civilian population."

causing someone to have a wrong idea or impression, usually by giving incomplete or false information

"He is devious."

"The devious plan involved stealing the company's secrets and selling them to a competitor for a large sum of money."

intending to cause harm or distress to others

"She spread malicious rumors."

"The malicious rumor spread quickly through the school and hurt the girl's reputation badly."

relating to a disgraceful and corrupted action

"The story is sordid."

"The sordid details of the scandal were published in the newspaper and the politician resigned in disgrace."

causing disagreement or controversy among people

"The topic is contentious."

"The politician's remarks on immigration proved highly contentious, sparking widespread debate."

to be disloyal to a person, a group of people, or one's country by giving information about them to their enemy

"He will betray them."

"The spy was accused of attempting to betray his country by selling classified information to enemy agents."

to not respect someone's rights, privacy, or peace

"Do not violate their privacy."

"We must ensure that our actions do not violate the fundamental human rights of any individual."

to control or influence someone cleverly for personal gain or advantage

"He tried to manipulate the situation."

"The villain tried to manipulate the hero into making a terrible mistake that would benefit his evil plans."