Meanings
plural evildoers · alternative evil-doer
- A person who performs evil acts.
"Come out, Noongah, you evil doer! It is I, Gulunna the warrior, returned!"
1944, H. Lorna Bingham, Tuckonie's Warrior Friend, page 29, column 22 more examples
Fret not thy ſelfe becauſe of euill doers, neither bee thou enuious againſt the workers of iniquitie.
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Psalms 37:1"But gallantly they fought. Oh Hiya! they fought like very men, and slew many, and held their own, and then I came and saved them, and the evildoers have I sent on hither to Kôr to be judged of thy greatness, oh She! and here they are."
1886 October – 1887 January, H[enry] Rider Haggard, She: A History of Adventure, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., published 1887, →OCLC
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Middle Englishyvel doer
- Englishevildoer
From Middle English yvel doer; equivalent to evil + doer.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek κακοῦργος, κακοποιός
- κακοῦργος (kakoûrgos)person who performs evil acts
- κακοποιός (kakopoiós)person who performs evil acts
Basque gaizkile
- gaizkileperson who performs evil acts
Bulgarian злоде́й
- злоде́й (zlodéj)person who performs evil acts
Chinese Mandarin 壞分子 /坏分子, 壞人 /坏人
- 壞分子 /坏分子 (huàifènzi)person who performs evil acts
- 壞人 /坏人 (huàirén)person who performs evil acts
Czech pachatel, pachatelka
- pachatelperson who performs evil acts
- pachatelkaperson who performs evil acts
Dutch overtreder, slechterik
- overtrederperson who performs evil acts
- slechterikperson who performs evil acts
Esperanto fiulo, malbonfaranto
- fiuloperson who performs evil acts
- malbonfarantoperson who performs evil acts
Finnish pahantekijä, pahis
- pahantekijäperson who performs evil acts
- pahisperson who performs evil acts
French malfaiteur, malfaitrice
- malfaiteurperson who performs evil acts
- malfaitriceperson who performs evil acts
- méchantperson who performs evil acts
- méchanteperson who performs evil acts
German Übeltäter, Übeltäterin
- Übeltäterperson who performs evil acts
- Übeltäterinperson who performs evil acts
- Frevlerperson who performs evil acts
- Frevlerinperson who performs evil acts
Hindi कुकर्मी, पापी
- कुकर्मी (kukarmī)person who performs evil acts
- पापी (pāpī)person who performs evil acts
Icelandic illvirki
- illvirkiperson who performs evil acts
Irish ainbheartach
- ainbheartachperson who performs evil acts
Italian malfattore
- malfattoreperson who performs evil acts
Japanese 悪人, 邪悪な人
- 悪人person who performs evil acts
- 邪悪な人 (jaaku na hito)person who performs evil acts
- 姦人 (kanjin)person who performs evil acts
Korean 나쁜 짓을 하는 사람, 악인
- 나쁜 짓을 하는 사람 (nappeun jis-eul haneun saram)person who performs evil acts
- 악인 (agin)person who performs evil acts
Latin maleficus, malefactor
- maleficusperson who performs evil acts
- malefactorperson who performs evil acts
Latvian ļaundaris
- ļaundarisperson who performs evil acts
Polish złoczyńca
- złoczyńcaperson who performs evil acts
Portuguese malfeitor, malfeitora
- malfeitorperson who performs evil acts
- malfeitoraperson who performs evil acts
Russian злоумы́шленник, злоумы́шленница
- злоумы́шленник (zloumýšlennik)person who performs evil acts
- злоумы́шленница (zloumýšlennica)person who performs evil acts
Spanish malhechor, malhechora
- malhechorperson who performs evil acts
- malhechoraperson who performs evil acts
- malfechor (disused)person who performs evil acts
- facinerosoperson who performs evil acts
- maleanteperson who performs evil acts
Swahili mpotovu
- mpotovuperson who performs evil acts
Ukrainian злочи́нець
- злочи́нець (zločýnecʹ)person who performs evil acts
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
evildoer. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/evildoer
“evildoer.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/evildoer. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “evildoer,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/evildoer.
Source: evildoer on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.