evilhearted

Evilhearted is an English adjective used to describe a person or disposition characterized by malevolence or cruelty. It conveys the sense that harmful intent stems from the person’s core character, not merely from isolated actions. The term appears most often in descriptive writing, fiction, and moral commentary, and is commonly written as evil-hearted or evilhearted.

Etymology: The word combines evil with heart, drawing on the classical metaphor of the heart as the seat of emotion and will. In contemporary usage, evilhearted is informal and literary rather than a standard term in formal dictionaries; spelling variants such as evilhearted and evil-hearted are both found in print.

Usage and nuance: As a strong evaluative descriptor, evilhearted is reserved for cases where malice seems inherent rather than episodic. It is typically applied to fictional villains or notoriously cruel individuals, and is less common in neutral academic prose. When used about real people, it can be sensational or pejorative.

Related terms: The expression shares ideas with synonyms such as malevolent, wicked, and villainous, as well as related compounds like ill-hearted or evil-minded. The phrase may emphasize a perceived inner disposition, or be used to evoke moral judgment in storytelling or commentary.