Word
wickedness
Phoneticswicked·ness
US/ˈwɪkədnəs/
UK/wˈɪkɪdnəs/
Definition
n. the quality of being very bad, cruel, or evil. It describes actions or people that are morally wrong.
n. the quality of being morally evil or wicked; the state of being guilty of serious wrongdoing.
Examples
“The story is full of wickedness and betrayal.”
“The detective spent years trying to prove the wickedness of the accused, who had stolen from the poor.”
“The philosopher argued that the pursuit of power often leads to a kind of systemic wickedness that corrupts even the most well-intentioned institutions.”
Examples
simple
“The story is full of wickedness and betrayal.”
contextual
“The detective spent years trying to prove the wickedness of the accused, who had stolen from the poor.”
complex
“The philosopher argued that the pursuit of power often leads to a kind of systemic wickedness that corrupts even the most well-intentioned institutions.”
Real-World Examples
“In other words, when given a choice, humans strongly prefer to assume that problems are caused by wicked people, rather that engage the inherent wickedness of problems.” “As in Rosa’s stories, they were always evil, but this wickedness was never explained.” Etymology
Inherited from Middle English wikkednesse, wikkednes, equivalent to wicked + -ness.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- C1 · Advanced
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/wickedness