Usage patterns 〈 事こと 〉 が 悪あく 質しつ だ for an act or method to be malicious/vicious
His methods are malicious.
悪あく 質しつ な 〈 物もの 〉 a shoddy, poor-quality ~ (materials, goods)
Poor-quality building materials were used.
悪あく 質しつ な 〈 事こと 〉 a malicious/vicious ~ (crime, scam, etc.)
Malicious fraud is on the rise.
悪あく 質しつ 化か する to become more malicious/vicious over time
Criminal methods are becoming more vicious.
Kanji 質 substance, quality, matter Related words· 7 悪意 is a noun meaning 'malice' or 'ill will' focusing on intent, while 悪質 is an adjective describing an act, method, or thing as malicious.
粗悪 refers purely to poor physical quality with no moral implication, while 悪質 in this sense also carries a hint of dishonesty behind the poor quality.
凶悪 is stronger and used mainly for violent, atrocious crimes (murder, assault), whereas 悪質 covers a broader range of malicious or dishonest acts including scams and shoddy business practices.
悪徳 emphasizes corrupt, immoral character (as in 悪徳商法 ), while 悪質 more neutrally describes how harmful or underhanded an act or method is.
Show 3 more Show fewer 悪質 is a more formal word for malicious or harmful conduct (often used in legal or news contexts), while あくどい is a colloquial word emphasizing underhandedness.
悪質 is a formal term for maliciously bad quality (often of acts or products), while えげつない is a colloquial word focused on the shocking, distasteful feel of something.
悪質 describes an act or thing as vicious or malicious in nature, whereas 卑劣 focuses on the cowardly, underhanded meanness of the person or act.
Opposites 善良 describes someone or something as good-natured and honest, the moral opposite of 悪質 's malicious or vicious sense.
優良 means excellent or high-quality, the opposite of 悪質 's 'shoddy, inferior' sense.
悪質 describes something of bad or malicious quality/nature, the direct opposite of 良質 's good quality.
Don't confuse with 悪質 describes malicious intent or poor quality (e.g. 悪質な商法 'a shady business practice'), whereas 悪性 is limited to medical/biological aggressiveness like cancer.
悪質 is an adjectival noun describing something malicious or of bad quality (e.g. 悪質な業者 ), while 悪徳 is a noun naming corruption or vice itself and is often used to modify a person's role (悪徳弁護士 ).
Word family worsening; deterioration; becoming malicious
malignancy; viciousness; underhandedness
unscrupulous business practices; fraudulent business practices
Etymology Compound of 悪 (bad, evil) and 質 (quality, nature). The meaning 'malicious' derives from 'bad nature', while 'shoddy' comes from 'bad quality'.
Report an issue with this page
Copyright © 2026 Kotomora. All Rights Reserved.
