เลว
morally bad
A native Thai recording for this word is on the way. Please check back soon.
- 1 morally bad、vile、wicked
Describes a person, character, or action as morally bad and deserving strong disapproval.
morally bad、vile、wicked
Describes a person or their behavior as morally wrong, vile, or deserving condemnation.
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เขาเป็นคนเลว khǎw pen khon leew He is a bad person. เขาเป็นคนเลว details
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อย่าทำตัวเลว yàa tham tua leew Don't behave like a terrible person. อย่าทำตัวเลว details
Learning notes
Explanation
เลว strongly condemns a person's character or conduct. Common patterns include คนเลว (“a bad person”), นิสัยเลว (“a nasty character”), and ทำตัวเลว (“behave reprehensibly”). It is much harsher than a mild expression such as ไม่ดี. It can serve as the predicate in เขาเลว and can follow a noun as a modifier in คนเลว.
Usage
It is used to strongly criticize malicious people or morally unacceptable conduct such as betrayal or bullying. It is also common when describing a villain or bad person in a story or film.
Caution
Calling someone คนเลว directly is a serious insult. Use ไม่ดี for milder disapproval. If you intend to criticize only what someone did, refer specifically to the action rather than labeling the person.
Differences from similar words
1 morally bad synonyms
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ชั่ว emphasizes outright wickedness or moral evil. เลว is also strongly critical but is used more broadly in everyday speech for a bad person or reprehensible behavior.
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ทราม suggests baseness or a lack of decency and sounds more formal or literary. เลว is more common in everyday language and directly condemns a person or action as morally bad.