Word of the Day: Evil
The word “evil” can be used as a noun or as an adjective to describe a person or a thing that creates a condition of terror or lacks compassion for living things.
This word is often used to describe people or organizations that gain power through intimidation and fear:
- Adolph Hitler created and carried out an evil plan to exterminate large groups of people during World War II.
- Under Pol Pot’s evil regime, Cambodia lost over two million people in the late 1970s.
- The good people of Iraq and Syria have rejected the evil of ISIS and are now reclaiming their countries.
- Charles Manson was sentenced to life in prison as an evil leader of a cult involved in the deaths of innocent people.
You might also hear the word “evil” used when exaggerating the negative qualities of a thing or a person:
- Yolanda thinks her boss is evil because he takes advantage of her limited English skills.
- People can say evil things on the internet when they believe they are saying things anonymously.
- That was kind of an evil thing to say.
- A car is a necessary evil.
- The decision they made was the lesser of two evils.
- Money is the root of all evil. (This is a common proverb.)
There are many famous quotations from famous people who have contemplated the nature of evil. Here are just a few:
- All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. — Edmund Burke
- All things may corrupt when minds are prone to evil. — Ovid
- Evil brings men together. — Aristotle
- Evil is obvious only in retrospect. — Gloria Steinem
A person who does something that is evil is called an “evildoer.”
- Prisons are places for evildoers to contemplate their crimes.
- The work of an evildoer is often offset by the work of a saint.
Essential English Dictionary
Visit the Popular English Words Beginning with E page to see the list of all words starting with letter E. For seeing the HiCafe dictionary, visit the Popular English Words with Meaning page.
