Wickedness is deliberate, harmful wrongdoing that shows a deep disregard for what's right. It means intentionally doing evil or cruel things without caring about the hurt you cause, choosing to harm others even when you know it's wrong.

In fairy tales and stories, wicked characters like the queen in Snow White or the White Witch in The Chronicles of Narnia plot cruel schemes and enjoy others' suffering. Their wickedness defines who they are, showing a consistent pattern of cruelty. In real life, wickedness might describe serious crimes or acts of cruelty where someone deliberately causes suffering.

You wouldn't call someone wicked for forgetting their homework or accidentally breaking a promise. Wickedness implies a pattern of choosing evil, knowing it's wrong, and not caring.

You'll also hear people use wicked more lightly, especially in New England, where it can just mean “very” or “extremely”: “That roller coaster was wicked fast!” But when you see wickedness as a noun, it almost always means serious moral evil.