pretense of evil; feigned wickedness
Refers to the act of pretending to be evil or morally bad, often as a pose or affectation. Not a common everyday word; more likely to appear in literary or psychological contexts.
His rough attitude is nothing more than a pretense of evil.
He surprises those around him with feigned wicked words and actions.
propensity to make oneself look bad; tendency to act bad
Compound of 偽 (false, pretend) and 悪 (evil). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the word follows a common Sino-Japanese pattern for abstract concepts.