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evilly

B2
adverb

Pronunciation

UK

  • /ˈiːvəlˌi/

US

  • /ˈivli/adverb
  • /ˈivəli/adverb

Description

To do something evilly means to act in a deliberately harmful, cruel, or wicked way. It is not just "bad" - it suggests a clear choice to cause pain, trouble, or unfairness. You often hear it in stories about villains. A silly prank may be annoying, but a carefully planned scheme done evilly is meant to truly hurt someone. You would not say a clumsy accident happened "evilly," but you could describe the wicked stepmother in Cinderella as acting evilly.

Examples

  1. 1

    Mischievous grin

    She grinned evilly and took the last cookie.

    • Usage

      grin evilly

      smile in a cruel or mischievous way; often used in stories or jokes

  2. 2

    Film villain

    The old woman in the film laughed evilly as the door slowly closed behind them.

  3. 3

    Office joke

    "Oh, I saved you some work," he said evilly, dropping a huge stack of papers on her desk.

  4. 4

    Sibling mischief

    The child gave his brother an evilly cheerful look before switching off the game.

Forms and spellings

1 form open this card.

Main spelling

  • evillyadverb