evi|dence ◆◆◇ /e v I dəns/ (evidences , evidencing , evidenced )
1 N‑UNCOUNT [N that, N to-inf] Evidence is anything that you see, experience, read, or are told that causes you to believe that something is true or has really happened. □ [+ of/for ] Ganley said he'd seen no evidence of widespread fraud. □ There is a lot of evidence that stress is partly responsible for disease.
2 N‑UNCOUNT Evidence is the information which is used in a court of law to try to prove something. Evidence is obtained from documents, objects, or witnesses. [LEGAL ] □ [+ against ] The evidence against him was purely circumstantial. □ …enough evidence for a successful prosecution.
3 PHRASE If you give evidence in a court of law or an official enquiry, you officially say what you know about people or events, or describe an occasion at which you were present. □ The forensic scientists who carried out the original tests will be called to give evidence.
4 VERB If a particular feeling, ability, or attitude is evidenced by something or someone, it is seen or felt. [FORMAL ] □ [be V -ed + by ] He's wise in other ways too, as evidenced by his reason for switching from tennis to golf. □ [V n] She was not calculating and evidenced no specific interest in money.
5 PHRASE If someone or something is in evidence , they are present and can be clearly seen. □ Few soldiers were in evidence. SYNONYMS evidence NOUN 1
proof: This is not necessarily proof that he is wrong.
testimony: This book is testimony to a very individual kind of courage.
indication: He gave no indication that he was ready to compromise.
the mark of: The mark of a civilized society is that it looks after its weakest members.
evi|dent /e v I dənt/
1 ADJ If something is evident , you notice it easily and clearly. □ His footprints were clearly evident in the heavy dust. □ …the best-publicised cases of evident injustice.
2 ADJ You use evident to show that you are certain about a situation or fact and your interpretation of it. [EMPHASIS ] □ It was evident that she had once been a beauty.
3 → see also self-evident
evi|dent|ly /e v I dəntli/
1 ADV [ADV before v] You use evidently to say that something is obviously true, for example because you have seen evidence of it yourself. □ The man wore a bathrobe and had evidently just come from the bathroom. □ The two Russians evidently knew each other.
2 ADV [ADV before v] You use evidently to show that you think something is true or have been told something is true, but that you are not sure, because you do not have enough information or proof. □ From childhood, he was evidently at once rebellious and precocious.
3 ADV You can use evidently to introduce a statement or opinion and to emphasize that you feel that it is true or correct. [FORMAL , EMPHASIS ] □ Quite evidently, it has nothing to do with social background.
evil ◆◇◇ /iː v ə l/ (evils )
1 N‑UNCOUNT Evil is a powerful force that some people believe to exist, and which causes wicked and bad things to happen. □ There's always a conflict between good and evil in his plays.
2 N‑UNCOUNT Evil is used to refer to all the wicked and bad things that happen in the world. □ He could not, after all, stop all the evil in the world.
3 N‑COUNT If you refer to an evil , you mean a very unpleasant or harmful situation or activity. □ Higher taxes may be a necessary evil. □ [+ of ] …a lecture on the evils of alcohol.
4 ADJ If you describe someone as evil , you mean that they are very wicked by nature and take pleasure in doing things that harm other people. □ …the country's most evil terrorists. □ She's an evil woman.
5 ADJ If you describe something as evil , you mean that you think it causes a great deal of harm to people and is morally bad. □ After 1760 few Americans refrained from condemning slavery as evil.
6 ADJ If you describe something as evil , you mean that you think it is influenced by the devil. □ I think this is an evil spirit at work.
7 ADJ You can describe a very unpleasant smell as evil . □ Both men were smoking evil-smelling pipes.
8 PHRASE If someone is putting off the evil day or the evil hour , they have to do something unpleasant and are trying to avoid doing it for as long as possible. □ You should stop putting off the evil day and get on with it.
9 PHRASE If you have two choices, but think that they are both bad, you can describe the one which is less bad as the lesser of two evils , or the lesser evil . □ People voted for him as the lesser of two evils. SYNONYMS evil NOUN 3
wickedness: …moral arguments about the wickedness of nuclear weapons.
wrong: Johnson didn't seem to be able to tell the difference between right and wrong.
vice: …allegations of how she worked in a 'seedy vice den'.
sin: Was it the sin of pride to have believed too much in themselves? ADJ 5
wicked: She described the shooting as a wicked attack.
immoraclass="underline" …those who think that birth control and abortion are immoral.
heinous: They are capable of the most heinous acts.
depraved: …a disturbing and depraved film.