B2nounsociety
US/ˈiː.vəl/
UK/ˈiː.vəl/
something very bad or harmful, or the force that makes people do very bad things
In context
In most fairy tales, good wins and evil is punished at the end.
Gambling and drugs are often described as social evils in Vietnamese newspapers.
Many people see taxes as a necessary evil that pays for schools and hospitals.
Words that go with evil
adjective + noun
- necessary evilFor many office workers, the long commute is a necessary evil.
- social evilsThe campaign aims to fight social evils such as drug abuse.
- lesser evilVoters felt they had to choose the lesser evil.
- pure evilThe villain in the movie is pure evil.
noun + preposition
- evils ofThe film shows the evils of war through a child's eyes.
- root of all evilSome people say money is the root of all evil.
verb + noun
- fight evilIn comics, superheroes fight evil to protect ordinary people.