Literary or formal term for moral crookedness or injustice. Rare in everyday speech; more common synonyms include 邪悪 (じゃあく) or 不正 (ふせい).
His actions seemed to have wicked intentions.
This story depicts a battle between evil and justice.
Compound of 邪 (じゃ, 'wicked') and 曲 (きょく, 'bent, crooked'), literally meaning 'crooked wickedness'. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the kanji combination suggests a classical Chinese origin.