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Evil vs Vice - What's the difference?

evil | vice |

In obsolete terms the difference between evil and vice

is that evil is a malady or disease; especially in the phrase king's evil (scrofula) while vice is a grip or grasp.

As adjectives the difference between evil and vice

is that evil is intending to harm; malevolent while vice is in place of; subordinate to; designating a person below another in rank.

As nouns the difference between evil and vice

is that evil is moral badness; wickedness; malevolence; the forces or behaviors that are the opposite or enemy of good while vice is a bad habit.

As a verb vice is

to hold or squeeze with a vice, or as if with a vice.

As a preposition vice is

instead of, in place of.

evil

English

Adjective

  • Intending to harm; malevolent.
    • Do you think that companies that engage in animal testing are evil ?
  • Morally corrupt.
    • an evil plot to kill innocent people
  • * Shakespeare
    • Ah, what a sign it is of evil life, / When death's approach is seen so terrible.
  • Unpleasant. (rfex)
  • Producing or threatening sorrow, distress, injury, or calamity; unpropitious; calamitous.
  • * Bible, Deuteronomy xxii. 19
    • He hath brought up an evil name upon a virgin of Israel.
  • * Shakespeare
    • The owl shrieked at thy birth — an evil sign.
  • * Milton
    • Evil news rides post, while good news baits.
  • (obsolete) Having harmful qualities; not good; worthless or deleterious.
    • an evil''' beast; an '''evil''' plant; an '''evil crop
  • * Bible, Matthew vii. 18
    • A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit.
  • (computing, programming, slang) undesirable; harmful; bad practice
    • Global variables are evil ; storing processing context in object member variables allows those objects to be reused in a much more flexible way.

    Synonyms

    * nefarious * malicious * malevolent * See also

    Antonyms

    * good

    Derived terms

    * evil eye * evil laugh * evil laughter * evilly * evil-minded * Evil One * evil twin * evilness

    Noun

    (wikipedia evil)
  • Moral badness; wickedness; malevolence; the forces or behaviors that are the opposite or enemy of good.
  • * Bible, (Ecclesiastes). ix. 3
    • The heart of the sons of men is full of evil .
  • * , chapter=16
    • , title= The Mirror and the Lamp , passage=The preposterous altruism too!
  • Anything which impairs the happiness of a being or deprives a being of any good; anything which causes suffering of any kind to sentient beings; injury; mischief; harm.
  • * (John Milton)
    • evils which our own misdeeds have wrought
  • * (William Shakespeare)
    • The evil that men do lives after them.
  • (obsolete) A malady or disease; especially in the phrase king's evil (scrofula).
  • * (Shakespeare)
  • * Addison
    • He [Edward the Confessor] was the first that touched for the evil .

    Antonyms

    * good

    Derived terms

    * axis of evil * evildoer * king's evil * lesser evil * necessary evil * poll evil

    Statistics

    *

    Anagrams

    *

    vice

    English

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl), from (etyl), from (etyl) .

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A bad habit.
    • Smoking is a vice , not a virtue.
  • (legal) Any of various crimes related (depending on jurisdiction) to prostitution, pornography, gambling, alcohol, or drugs.
  • A defect in the temper or behaviour of a horse, such as to make the animal dangerous, to injure its health, or to diminish its usefulness.
  • * From the case of Scholefield v. Robb (1839).
    • Antonyms
    * (bad habit) virtue
    Derived terms
    * vice squad
    Related terms
    * vicious * vitiate

    See also

    * habit

    Etymology 2

    From (etyl) ; akin to English withy.

    Alternative forms

    * vise (US)

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A mechanical screw apparatus used for clamping or holding (also spelled vise).
  • A tool for drawing lead into cames, or flat grooved rods, for casements.
  • (obsolete) A grip or grasp.
  • * 1597 , , II. I. 22:
    • Fang. An I but fist him once; an a’ come but within my vice ,–

    Verb

    (vic)
  • To hold or squeeze with a vice, or as if with a vice.
  • * 1610 , , I. ii. 416:
    • Camillo. As he had seen’t, or been an instrument / To vice you to't, that you have touched his queen / Forbiddenly
  • * De Quincey
    • The coachman's hand was viced between his upper and lower thigh.

    Etymology 3

    From (etyl) , ablative form of vicis.

    Adjective

    vice (no comparative or superlative)
  • in place of; subordinate to; designating a person below another in rank
    • vice president
    vice admiral
    Derived terms
    * vice admiral * vice governor * vice mayor * vice president

    Preposition

    (head)
  • instead of, in place of
    • A. B. was appointed postmaster vice C. D. resigned.
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