Evil vs. Bad — What's the Difference?
Edited by Tayyaba Rehman — By Fiza Rafique — Updated on November 2, 2023
Evil implies profound immorality and wickedness, often with harmful intent; bad is less severe, indicating poor quality or unfavorable morality.
Difference Between Evil and Bad
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Evil typically refers to something profoundly immoral, malevolent, and harmful. It is often associated with actions or intentions that are considered deeply wrong on a moral or ethical level. Bad, in comparison, is a broader term that can denote poor quality or unfavorable behavior but does not inherently carry the same depth of malevolence or moral depravity.
In literature and philosophy, evil is a more powerful term, usually reserved for the most extreme acts of harm and immorality, such as those carried out with intent to cause suffering or destruction. Bad, on the other hand, can simply suggest inadequacy or failure to reach an acceptable standard, like a bad meal or a bad performance, without any implications of malevolence.
The concept of evil is often tied to deliberate wrongdoing and the intent to cause harm. In religious and ethical discussions, evil is a force or entity that is diametrically opposed to good, representing all that is morally reprehensible. Bad can also relate to moral failings, but it is not as strong as evil and is often used in a more casual, everyday context.
When discussing character traits, someone described as evil is thought to possess harmful qualities that affect others in destructive ways. Conversely, a person described as bad might simply exhibit poor judgment or engage in minor misdeeds that are not necessarily rooted in a desire to cause harm.
In legal and societal terms, actions deemed evil might be those that society finds particularly heinous and punishable by the most severe measures. In contrast, bad actions might be less serious offenses that are subject to lesser forms of punishment or disapproval.
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Comparison Chart
Connotation
Profound immorality, harm
Poor quality, unfavorable
Severity
Extreme, often with harm intent
Less severe, not always harmful
Usage in Morality
Deeper moral depravity
Lesser moral failing
Legal Implications
Heinous acts, severe punishment
Lesser offenses, milder punishment
Common Associations
Malevolence, destructive
Inadequacy, incorrectness
Compare with Definitions
Evil
Evil suggests a malignant quality or influence that is dangerously harmful.
The villain's evil influence corrupted the entire kingdom.
Bad
In a colloquial sense, bad can mean unwell or in poor condition.
I felt bad after eating the expired yogurt.
Evil
Evil, in a general sense, is defined by what it is not—the opposite or absence of good. It can be an extremely broad concept, although in everyday usage it is often more narrowly used to talk about profound wickedness.
Bad
Bad also serves to express disapproval or dissatisfaction with something.
The movie received bad reviews from critics.
Evil
Morally bad or wrong; wicked
An evil tyrant.
Bad
Not achieving an adequate standard; poor
A bad concert.
Evil
Causing ruin, injury, or pain; harmful
The evil effects of a poor diet.
Bad
Immoral or evil.
Evil
Characterized by or indicating future misfortune; ominous
Evil omens.
Bad
Vulgar or obscene
Bad language.
Evil
Bad or blameworthy by report; infamous
An evil reputation.
Bad
Disobedient or naughty
Bad children.
Evil
Characterized by anger or spite; malicious
An evil temper.
Bad
Disagreeable, unpleasant, or disturbing
A bad piece of news.
Evil
The quality of being morally bad or wrong; wickedness.
Bad
Unfavorable
Bad reviews for the play.
Evil
That which causes harm, misfortune, or destruction
A leader's power to do both good and evil.
Bad
Not fresh; rotten or spoiled
Bad meat.
Evil
An evil force, power, or personification.
Bad
Injurious in effect; detrimental
Bad habits.
Evil
Something that is a cause or source of suffering, injury, or destruction
The social evils of poverty and injustice.
Bad
Not working properly; defective
A bad telephone connection.
Evil
In an evil manner.
Bad
Full of or exhibiting faults or errors
Bad grammar.
Evil
Intending to harm; malevolent.
An evil plot to brainwash and even kill innocent people
Bad
Having no validity; void
Passed bad checks.
Evil
Morally corrupt.
If something is evil, it is never mandatory.
Do you think that companies that engage in animal testing are evil?
Bad
Being so far behind in repayment as to be considered a loss
Bad loans.
Evil
Unpleasant, foul (of odour, taste, mood, weather, etc.).
Bad
Severe; intense
A bad cold.
Evil
Producing or threatening sorrow, distress, injury, or calamity; unpropitious; calamitous.
Bad
Being in poor health or in pain
I feel bad today.
Evil
(obsolete) Having harmful qualities; not good; worthless or deleterious.
An evil beast; an evil plant; an evil crop
Bad
Being in poor condition; diseased
Bad lungs.
Evil
Undesirable; harmful; bad practice.
Global variables are evil; storing processing context in object member variables allows those objects to be reused in a much more flexible way.
Bad
Sorry; regretful
She feels bad about how she treated you.
Evil
Moral badness; wickedness; malevolence; the forces or behaviors that are the opposite or enemy of good.
The evils of society include murder and theft.
Evil lacks spirituality, hence its need for mind control.
Bad
Bad·der, bad·dest Slang Very good; great.
Evil
Something which impairs the happiness of a being or deprives a being of any good; something which causes suffering of any kind to sentient beings; harm; injury; mischief.
Bad
Something that is below standard or expectations, as of ethics or decency
Weighing the good against the bad.
Evil
(obsolete) A malady or disease; especially in combination, as in king's evil, colt evil.
Bad
Badly.
Evil
(obsolete) wickedly, evilly, iniquitously
Bad
A past tense of bid.
Evil
(obsolete) injuriously, harmfully; in a damaging way.
Bad
Unfavorable; negative; not good.
Hiring you was very bad for this company.
The weather looks pretty bad right now.
He is in a bad mood.
You have very bad grades.
Evil
(obsolete) badly, poorly; in an insufficient way.
It went evil with him.
Bad
Not suitable or fitting.
Do you think it is a bad idea to confront him directly?
Evil
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.
A good tree can not bring forth evil fruit.
Bad
Not appropriate, of manners etc.
It is bad manners to talk with your mouth full.
Evil
Having or exhibiting bad moral qualities; morally corrupt; wicked; wrong; vicious; as, evil conduct, thoughts, heart, words, and the like.
Ah, what a sign it is of evil life,When death's approach is seen so terrible.
Bad
Unhealthy; liable to cause health problems.
Lard is bad for you. Smoking is bad for you, too. Grapes are bad for dogs but not for humans.
Evil
Producing or threatening sorrow, distress, injury, or calamity; unpropitious; calamitous; as, evil tidings; evil arrows; evil days.
Because he hath brought up an evil name upon a virgin of Israel.
The owl shrieked at thy birth - an evil sign.
Evil news rides post, while good news baits.
It almost led him to believe in the evil eye.
Bad
(chiefly applied to a person's state of health) Sickly, unhealthy, unwell.
Joe's in a bad way; he can't even get out of bed.
I went to the hospital to see how my grandfather was doing. Unfortunately, he's in a bad state.
I've had a bad back since the accident.
Evil
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.
Evils which our own misdeeds have wrought.
The evil that men do lives after them.
Bad
Not behaving; behaving badly; misbehaving; mischievous or disobedient.
Stop being bad, or you will get a spanking!
Evil
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.
The heart of the sons of men is full of evil.
Bad
Tricky; stressful; unpleasant.
Divorce is usually a bad experience for everybody involved.
Evil
Malady or disease; especially in the phrase king's evil, the scrofula.
He [Edward the Confessor] was the first that touched for the evil.
Bad
Evil; wicked.
Be careful. There are bad people in the world.
Evil
In an evil manner; not well; ill; badly; unhappily; injuriously; unkindly.
It went evil with his house.
The Egyptians evil entreated us, and affected us.
Bad
Faulty; not functional.
I had a bad headlight.
Evil
Morally objectionable behavior
Bad
(of food) Spoiled, rotten, overripe.
These apples have gone bad.
Evil
That which causes harm or destruction or misfortune;
The evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones
Bad
(of breath) Malodorous; foul.
Bad breath is not pleasant for anyone.
Evil
The quality of being morally wrong in principle or practice;
Attempts to explain the origin of evil in the world
Bad
False; counterfeit; illegitimate.
They were caught trying to pass bad coinage.
Evil
Morally bad or wrong;
Evil purposes
An evil influence
Evil deeds
Bad
Unskilled; of limited ability; not good.
I'm pretty bad at speaking French.
He's a bad gardener; everything he tries to grow ends up dying.
Evil
Having the nature of vice
Bad
Of poor physical appearance.
I look really bad whenever I get less than seven hours of sleep.
I don't look bad in this dress, do I?
Evil
Tending to cause great harm
Bad
(informal) Bold and daring.
Evil
Having or exerting a malignant influence;
Malevolent stars
A malefic force
Bad
(slang) Good, superlative, excellent, cool.
Man, that new car you bought is bad!
You is bad, man!
Evil
Evil denotes profound immorality and wickedness.
The dictator's evil policies caused immense suffering.
Bad
Severe, urgent.
He is in bad need of a haircut.
Evil
Evil embodies actions or intentions that cause harm or destruction.
The evil plot was designed to topple the peaceful government.
Bad
Overly promiscuous, licentious.
Evil
In religious contexts, evil represents the opposite of good, associated with the devil or demonic forces.
In many cultures, demons are the embodiment of pure evil.
Bad
Very attractive; hot, sexy.
Hopefully I can pull some bad bitches tonight.
Evil
An evil person is someone who delights in causing pain or suffering.
The evil queen relished the distress of her subjects.
Bad
Not covered by funds on account.
He gave me a bad check.
Bad
Badly.
I didn't do too bad in the last exam.
Bad
Something that is bad; a harm or evil.
Bad
Error; mistake.
Bad
An item (or kind of item) of merchandise with negative value; an unwanted good. Bad (economics)
Bad
Used to scold a misbehaving child or pet.
Bad
(archaic) bid.
Bad
To shell (a walnut).
Bad
Bade.
Bad
Wanting good qualities, whether physical or moral; injurious, hurtful, inconvenient, offensive, painful, unfavorable, or defective, either physically or morally; evil; vicious; wicked; - the opposite of good; as, a bad man; bad conduct; bad habits; bad soil; bad air; bad health; a bad crop; bad news.
The strong antipathy of good to bad.
Bad
That which is below standard or expectations as of ethics or decency;
Take the bad with the good
Bad
Having undesirable or negative qualities;
A bad report card
His sloppy appearance made a bad impression
A bad little boy
Clothes in bad shape
A bad cut
Bad luck
The news was very bad
The reviews were bad
The pay is bad
It was a bad light for reading
The movie was a bad choice
Bad
Very intense;
A bad headache
In a big rage
Had a big (or bad) shock
A bad earthquake
A bad storm
Bad
Feeling physical discomfort or pain (`tough' is occasionally used colloquially for `bad');
My throat feels bad
She felt bad all over
He was feeling tough after a restless night
Bad
(of foodstuffs) not in an edible or usable condition;
Bad meat
A refrigerator full of spoilt food
Bad
Not capable of being collected;
A bad (or uncollectible) debt
Bad
Below average in quality or performance;
A bad chess player
A bad recital
Bad
Nonstandard;
So-called bad grammar
Bad
Not financially safe or secure;
A bad investment
High risk investments
Anything that promises to pay too much can't help being risky
Speculative business enterprises
Bad
Physically unsound or diseased;
Has a bad back
A bad heart
Bad teeth
An unsound limb
Unsound teeth
Bad
Capable of harming;
Bad habits
Bad air
Smoking is bad for you
Bad
Keenly sorry or regretful;
Felt bad about letting the team down
Was sorry that she had treated him so badly
Felt bad about breaking the vase
Bad
Characterized by wickedness or immorality;
Led a very bad life
Bad
Reproduced fraudulently;
Like a bad penny...
A forged twenty dollar bill
Bad
Not working properly;
A bad telephone connection
A defective appliance
Bad
With great intensity (`bad' is a nonstandard variant for `badly');
The injury hurt badly
The buildings were badly shaken
It hurts bad
We need water bad
Bad
Very much; strongly;
I wanted it badly enough to work hard for it
The cables had sagged badly
They were badly in need of help
He wants a bicycle so bad he can taste it
Bad
Bad refers to something of poor quality or low standard.
The concert was bad, and we left early.
Bad
Bad can describe morally wrong or unethical behavior.
Stealing from anyone is considered a bad action.
Bad
Bad is used to indicate a lack of skill or ability.
He's bad at lying; everyone knew the truth.
Common Curiosities
Is evil always intentional?
Evil generally implies a deliberate intention to cause harm or wrongdoing.
How do evil and bad differ in religious texts?
Evil is often depicted as a force opposing good, while bad may simply describe sinful behavior.
Can someone be called bad for a mistake?
Yes, if their actions lead to unfavorable outcomes, they can be described as bad.
Can actions be evil without causing harm?
Actions are generally not considered evil unless they cause or intend to cause harm.
Is bad a subjective term?
Yes, what is considered bad can vary greatly between different people and cultures.
What does evil mean in a legal context?
In legal terms, evil often describes actions that are particularly heinous or constitute serious crimes.
Can bad be used to describe serious wrongdoings?
Yes, but it's less intense than evil and is often used for less serious issues.
Are evil people always bad?
In the moral sense, yes, someone deemed evil is also considered bad.
Is bad a less serious term than evil?
Yes, bad is typically less severe and more common in everyday language.
Can an object be evil?
An object can be considered evil if it's associated with harm or malevolent forces.
Are evil and bad interchangeable?
They can be in some contexts, but evil has a stronger connotation of immorality.
Can a well-intentioned act be bad?
Yes, if the outcome is negative or the act is poorly executed, it can be deemed bad.
Does bad have a moral implication?
Bad can imply a moral judgment, but it's often used for non-moral shortcomings too.
Can a bad situation be called evil?
Only if it involves deliberate harm or profound moral wrong.
Can a person be inherently evil?
Philosophical and religious views differ, but some believe that people can be inherently evil.
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Written by
Fiza RafiqueFiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
Edited by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
