wickedness

noun

ˈwi-kəd-nəs How to pronounce wickedness (audio)
Definition of wickednessnext
1
as in mischief
playful, reckless behavior that is not intended to cause serious harm a couple of live wires who got into all kinds of wickedness during their vacation in Las Vegas

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sinfulness
the state or quality of being utterly evil the movie featured a villain of unadulterated wickedness

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of wickedness An opinion offered offhand suggests a secret wickedness that must be exorcised. — Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 31 Mar. 2026 Pearl revels in wickedness, presenting a literary world in which a successful writer’s haughtiness is both encouraged and rewarded. — The New Yorker, New Yorker, 15 Dec. 2025 Given that Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) has given the town of Oz the illusion that Glinda is the force of good magic protecting them from Elphaba's wickedness, the bubble — which is operated by foot pedal — allows Glinda to appear magical. — Jordana Comiter, PEOPLE, 22 Nov. 2025 The crucial role of the broomstick in the Wicked movies—and earlier Wizard of Oz stories—reflects a long history of women’s mobility being connected to perceptions of wickedness, as women reclaimed a tool of domestic labor to gain both physical and social liberation. — Time, 21 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for wickedness
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wickedness
  1. mischief
  2. sinfulness
  3. playfulness
  4. badness
  5. atrocity
  6. evilness
Noun
  • Ryan faces multiple charges, including criminal mischief and resisting an officer.
    — Bri Buckley, CBS News, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Both were arrested, and Cooper initially faced a criminal-mischief charge.
    — Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of mischief
Noun
  • But soon after, in Genesis 18, God tells Abraham of plans to investigate reports of sinfulness in Sodom and Gomorrah.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 July 2026
  • Denver author Josiah Hesse was raised by Evangelical parents in churches that believe in the torments of hell, that their poverty is due to their sinfulness and lack of faith.
    — Sandra Dallas, Denver Post, 1 Feb. 2026
Definition of sinfulness
Noun
  • Mazzoli’s score has its moments of playfulness, starting with the prologue in which the chorus members blow into kazoos.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Burnt out and bored, people started reincorporating playfulness into their lives with outfit updates and bedazzled everything.
    — Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of playfulness
Noun
  • Leaping around in time, Gilroy draws us into Alex’s world with an effervescent wink at the badness of his behavior.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 3 Oct. 2026
  • On one side, a satanic figure named Randall Flagg who gathers his forces of badness to Las Vegas; on the other, the good guys, led by 108-year-old Mother Abigail in, of all places, Boulder.
    — Barbara Ellis, Denver Post, 15 Jan. 2026
Definition of badness
Noun
  • The Monitor's View This year’s award went to a South African jurist who not only reshaped international law but also says her inspiration came from survivors of atrocities who never gave up their dignity.
    — the Monitor's Editorial Board, Christian Science Monitor, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Many of the Russian journalists working in Ukraine at the start of the war, where atrocities wage on, now have criminal cases against them.
    — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of atrocity
Noun
  • That was really what helped me into the character and into her evilness.
    — William Earl, Variety, 4 Oct. 2025
Definition of evilness

Browse Nearby Words

wickedly
wickedness
wicket
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Cite this Entry

“Wickedness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wickedness. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.

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