pos>a. [ OE. evel, evil, ifel, uvel, AS. yfel; akin to OFries, evel, D. euvel, OS. & OHG. ubil, G. übel, 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 ]

☞ 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 ]

pos>n. 1. Anything which impairs the happiness of a being or deprives a being of any good; anything which causes suffering of any kind to sentient beings; injury; mischief; harm; -- opposed to good. [ 1913 Webster ]

Evils which our own misdeeds have wrought. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

The evil that men do lives after them. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Moral badness, or the deviation of a moral being from the principles of virtue imposed by conscience, or by the will of the Supreme Being, or by the principles of a lawful human authority; disposition to do wrong; moral offence; wickedness; depravity. [ 1913 Webster ]

The heart of the sons of men is full of evil. Eccl. ix. 3. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. malady or disease; especially in the phrase king's evil, the scrofula. [ R. ] Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

He [ Edward the Confessor ] was the first that touched for the evil. Addison. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In an evil manner; not well; ill; badly; unhappily; injuriously; unkindly. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

It went evil with his house. 1 Chron. vii. 23. [ 1913 Webster ]

The Egyptians evil entreated us, and affected us. Deut. xxvi. 6. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. a person who performs an evil deed; one who sins (without repenting).
Syn. -- sinner. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. evil behavior.
Syn. -- transgression. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

See Evil eye under Evil, a. [ 1913 Webster ]

pos>a. Possessed of the supposed evil eye; also, looking with envy, jealousy, or bad design; malicious. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Having a bad countenance or appearance; ill-favored; blemished; deformed. Bacon.

-- E"vil-fa`vored*ness, n. Deut. xvi. 1. [1913 Webster]

adv. In an evil manner; not well; ill. [ Obs. ] “Good deeds evilly bestowed.” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Having evil dispositions or intentions; disposed to mischief or sin; malicious; malignant; wicked. -- E"vil-mind`ed*ness, n. [1913 Webster]