The Greek noun kakia (κακία) means wickedness, malice, moral evil, or depravity. It derives from kakos (bad/evil) and represents not merely wrongdoing but the disposition of a malicious heart — a settled orientation toward evil. It appears 11 times in the New Testament, often in vice lists alongside related sins.
Kakia in New Testament usage most often refers to malice — the disposition to harm others — rather than abstract evil. When Paul commands believers to put away kakia (Colossians 3:8; Ephesians 4:31), he is targeting a specific heart attitude of ill-will. The famous passage in 1 Peter 2:1 clusters kakia with deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander — showing the social destruction that malice produces. James 1:21 calls believers to 'get rid of all moral filth and the evil (kakia) that is so prevalent' as a prerequisite for receiving the implanted word. The antidote is not just self-improvement but the gospel's radical replacement of the malicious heart with genuine love.