Ask Difference

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.
Evil vs. Bad — What's the Difference?

Difference Between Evil and Bad

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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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Author Spotlight

Written by
Fiza Rafique
Fiza 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.
Tayyaba 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.

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