Idiom
necessary evil
Meaning
An unfavorable thing that must be done or accepted, especially because the available alternative courses of action or inaction would be worse.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“Paying taxes is a necessary evil for everyone.”
“The manager explained that the budget cuts were a necessary evil to keep the company running.”
“While many view the strict new regulations as a necessary evil, they remain essential for maintaining safety in the industry.”
Examples
simple
“Paying taxes is a necessary evil for everyone.”
contextual
“The manager explained that the budget cuts were a necessary evil to keep the company running.”
complex
“While many view the strict new regulations as a necessary evil, they remain essential for maintaining safety in the industry.”
Key words
Related idioms
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