wickedness

English

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English wikkednesse, wikkednes, equivalent to wicked +‎ -ness.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈwɪkɪdnəs/

• Audio (US)

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Noun

wickedness (countable and uncountable, plural wickednesses)

1. The state of being wicked; evil disposition; immorality.
   • 2005, Plato, translated by Lesley Brown, Sophist, page 227d:

     We speak of wickedness as something in the soul different from virtue.

2. A wicked or sinful thing or act; morally bad or objectionable behaviour.

Quotations

• 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Genesis 6:5:

  And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

Translations

state of being wicked

• Bulgarian: злоба (bg) f (zloba), лошотия (bg) f (lošotija)
• Catalan: dolenteria f, malícia (ca) f
• Finnish: pahuus (fi)
• French: méchanceté (fr) f, perversité (fr) f
• German: Bosheit (de) f
• Gothic: 𐌱𐌰𐌻𐍅𐌰𐍅𐌴𐍃𐌴𐌹 f (balwawēsei)
• Greek:

  Ancient: πονηρία f (ponēría)

• Hebrew: רִשְׁעוּת‎ f
• Irish: áibhirseoireacht f, coireacht f, colaí f, díchúis f, lochtaíl f, mallaitheacht f, urchóideacht f
• Italian: cattiveria (it) f
• Lao: ຄວາມຊົ່ວ (khuām sūa)
• Middle English: wikkednesse
• Occitan: marridesa (oc) f, aulesa (oc) f, malícia f, perversitat (oc) f, malesa f, malor f, emmaliment m, marridariá (oc) f
• Romagnol: cativēria f
• Romanian: răutate (ro) f, perversitate (ro) f, ticăloșie (ro) f
• Russian: злоба (ru) (zloba)
• Sanskrit: अधर्म (sa) m (adharma), निकृति (sa) f (nikṛti)
• Spanish: maldad (es) f, perversidad (es) f, perversión (es) f, malicia (es) f
• Tocharian B: yolaiññe
• Ukrainian: злочести́вість f (zločestývistʹ)

wicked thing

• Bulgarian: злина (bg) f (zlina)
• Dutch: boosheid (nl) f
• French: iniquité (fr) f, méchanceté (fr) f, mauvaise action (fr) f
• Occitan: marridesa (oc) f, desaguici m, marridariá (oc) f

References

• “wickedness”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “wickedness”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.