Cattivo

Cattivo is an Italian adjective meaning "bad" or "evil." It describes people, actions, or things judged to be morally wrong or of poor quality. It contrasts with buono (good) and can modify nouns directly, as in un ragazzo cattivo (a bad boy), tempo cattivo (bad weather), or un cattivo consiglio (a bad piece of advice). It also appears in expressions that signify strong negativity, such as cattivissimo (very bad) or cattiveria (meanness).

Morphology and usage

The word has gender and number agreement: cattivo (masc. sing.), cattiva (fem. sing.), cattivi (masc. pl.), cattive (fem. pl.). It is commonly used for moral judgment but can describe quality, taste, or behavior, for example, un cattivo gusto (bad taste) or un cattivo comportamento (poor conduct). As a noun, cattivo can be used as il cattivo to mean "the villain" or "the bad guy" in a story; la cattiva is less common but can appear in contexts referring to a female villain or a negatively charged figure.

Etymology

The term derives from Italian, with roots in the Romance language family and a historical path through Latin into Old Italian. The exact lineage is typical of many adjectives in Italian, with cognates in related languages.

In culture and language

In literature, film, and everyday speech, cattivo frequently designates an antagonist or a poor-quality attribute. It coexists with synonyms such as malvagio, cattivissimo, and malo, each carrying slightly different tonal or formal nuances.