- Evil
- Evil E*vil ([=e]"v'l) a. [OE. evel, evil, ifel, uvel, AS.
yfel; akin to OFries, evel, D. euvel, OS. & OHG. ubil, G.
["u]bel, Goth. ubils, and perh. to E. over.]
1. Having qualities tending to injury and mischief; having a
nature or properties which tend to badness; mischievous;
not good; worthless or deleterious; poor; as, an evil
beast; and evil plant; an evil crop.
[1913 Webster]
A good tree can not bring forth evil fruit. --Matt. vii. 18. [1913 Webster]
2. Having or exhibiting bad moral qualities; morally corrupt; wicked; wrong; vicious; as, evil conduct, thoughts, heart, words, and the like. [1913 Webster]
Ah, what a sign it is of evil life, When death's approach is seen so terrible. --Shak. [1913 Webster]
3. Producing or threatening sorrow, distress, injury, or calamity; unpropitious; calamitous; as, evil tidings; evil arrows; evil days. [1913 Webster]
Because he hath brought up an evil name upon a virgin of Israel. --Deut. xxii. 19. [1913 Webster]
The owl shrieked at thy birth -- an evil sign. --Shak. [1913 Webster]
Evil news rides post, while good news baits. --Milton. [1913 Webster]
{Evil eye}, an eye which inflicts injury by some magical or fascinating influence. It is still believed by the ignorant and superstitious that some persons have the supernatural power of injuring by a look. [1913 Webster]
It almost led him to believe in the evil eye. --J. H. Newman.
{Evil speaking}, speaking ill of others; calumny; censoriousness.
{The evil one}, the Devil; Satan. [1913 Webster]
Note: Evil is sometimes written as the first part of a compound (with or without a hyphen). In many cases the compounding need not be insisted on. Examples: Evil doer or evildoer, evil speaking or evil-speaking, evil worker, evil wishing, evil-hearted, evil-minded.
Syn: Mischieveous; pernicious; injurious; hurtful; destructive; wicked; sinful; bad; corrupt; perverse; wrong; vicious; calamitous. [1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.
