cattivi

Cattivi is the masculine plural form of the Italian adjective cattivo, meaning "bad" or "evil." The feminine plural is cattive; the singular forms are cattivo (masculine) and cattiva (feminine). It is used to describe people, actions, or objects judged morally wrong or of poor quality. The word carries both moral and evaluative senses and is common in everyday speech.

Cattivo agrees in gender and number with the noun: un ragazzo cattivo, due ragazzi cattivi; una ragazza cattiva, due ragazze cattive. Phrases such as di cattivo gusto (in bad taste), cattivo comportamento (bad behavior), and un cattivo esempio (a bad example) are widely used. It can also function as a noun phrase; "i cattivi" can refer to villains or antagonists in stories or films, or more loosely to people regarded as morally wrong.

Context and nuance: cattivo is a general, everyday descriptor. Malvagio is stronger and emphasizes moral wickedness, while other terms can shade meaning toward quality or behavior. For non-human things, cattivo can describe something poorly received or of low quality, as in cibo cattivo, though more natural constructions may vary by context.

Etymology: the exact origin is uncertain; cattivo is a long-attested native Italian word with Romance-language roots. The form cattivi is the standard masculine plural adjective and appears frequently in literature, media, and conversation.

The plural noun usage "i cattivi" is common when referring to a group of antagonists or “the bad guys” in a story, game, or film, illustrating how the word functions across grammatical and cultural contexts.