Wickedness
/ˈwɪkɪdnəs/
nounB2
Definition
Wickedness is the state or quality of being wicked, which means doing bad or harmful things deliberately. It often refers to actions or thoughts that are cruel, wrong, or morally bad. People or things described as wicked show strong badness or evil.
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See It in Action
The quality of being morally wrong or evil
- •The wickedness of the villain made everyone fear him.
- •People spoke about the wickedness of the cruel king.
- •The story shows the wickedness of greed and selfishness.
Actions or behavior that cause harm or pain on purpose
- •The wickedness in his plan hurt many innocent people.
- •She could not forgive the wickedness she had seen.
Make It Stick
- ✓Think of "wickedness" like "badness," but much stronger and more serious—like really wrong or harmful behavior
- ✓Picture a dark stormy night where someone does a mean or cruel act that hurts others
- ✓It's the feeling when you see someone being very unfair or hurting others on purpose, making you feel upset or scared
- ✓Sounds like "WICK-ed-ness" → imagine a "wick" (like on a candle) that burns dark and strong, symbolizing strong badness
- ✓Think of stories with villains who do very bad things just to cause trouble or pain
- ✓NOT like "mistake" (an accident), wickedness is done on purpose to be harmful or wrong
- ✓NOT like "naughty" (small misbehavior), wickedness is much more serious and harmful
- ✓NOT like "evil" (which is a strong word), wickedness is the quality or state of being evil or very bad
Try Other Words
- •Evil: very bad or morally wrong (Use when you want to emphasize strong moral wrongness or cruelty)
- •Immorality: not following moral rules (Use when focusing on breaking moral or ethical rules)
- •Cruelty: causing pain or suffering on purpose (Use when the harm or suffering is the main focus)
- •Sinfulness: doing things against religious or moral laws (Use in religious or moral contexts)
Unboxing
- •Word parts: "wicked" (bad or evil) + suffix "-ness" (forms a noun meaning quality or state)
- •Etymology: "wicked" comes from Old English "wicca" meaning "witch" or "sorcerer," later meaning bad or evil; "-ness" is a common English suffix to form nouns
- •Historical development: Used since Middle English to describe bad or evil quality or behavior
- •Modern usage: Used to describe strong badness or evil in people, actions, or ideas, often in moral or literary contexts
Reflect & Connect
•Can wickedness exist without someone knowing they are being wicked? Why or why not?
•How does the idea of wickedness change in different cultures or stories you know?
Fill in the blanks
1.The wickedness of the villain was shown by his ___ plans to hurt others.
2.People feel frightened when they see ___ acts of wickedness in their community.
3.Unlike a simple mistake, wickedness is done ___ to cause harm.
4.The story uses the word wickedness to explain the ___ of greed and selfishness.
5.She could not forget the wickedness ___ by those who betrayed her trust.
6.Wickedness often comes with feelings of ___ and cruelty.
7.When someone shows wickedness, it usually means they do not care about ___ feelings.