You Can Usually Tell How Evil Someone Is By These 11 Phrases They Say In Casual Conversation
New Africa / Shutterstock From antisocial behaviors to aggression and a lack of concern for the consequences of their actions, how "evil" someone is is often rooted in their brain chemistry.
You may not realize it, but you can usually tell someone has bad intentions if they frequently throw certain phrases into casual conversations. People with this kind of mindset tend to be careless with cruelty and self-centered in situations where others lead with empathy. The behaviors vary by person, but these phrases can be clear red flags.
You can usually tell how evil someone is by these 11 phrases they say in casual conversation
1. ‘Nobody will believe you’
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Even though the most evil people can still be charming and sociable in group situations, protecting their narrative and self-image, behind closed doors, you’ll often see their true nature come out. From phrases like “nobody will believe you” to “you sound so crazy,” they’re not afraid to distort your sense of reality in their best interest with gaslighting language.
Especially when their language and gaslighting can isolate someone from calling them out on their misbehavior and seeking support, evil people thrive when their victims don’t have a social support system to lean on. They can easily take advantage of someone’s vulnerability without much consequence.
2. ‘I’m just being honest’
To disguise their cruelty with “brutal honesty” or “humor” in conversations, the most evil people make others feel crazy for feeling hurt or calling them out on their behavior. They pretend like everyone else is overreacting, instead of owning up to language or behaviors that actually hurt someone else.
They’re not honest, they’re just mean, and using this excuse as a way to shield themselves from the consequences of their own actions. They think their opinions are facts, which is why they’re prone to using honesty as a justification for bad behavior, when in reality, they’re just operating on a selfish, ignorant wavelength.
3. ‘I don’t owe you anything’
While setting boundaries and protecting yourself from feeling pressure to help others at the expense of your well-being are healthy behaviors, sometimes you do owe people. Not in a transactional way, but in a basic human decency way, especially with people we’re supposed to care about.
For example, in a healthy romantic relationship, partners put in the work to be there for each other, even when it’s not always convenient. However, a self-centered, “evil” person prefers to rely on the excuse that they don't owe anyone anything in order to avoid discomfort.
They seem focused on themselves and only help people when it directly benefits them. So, of course, they’re not afraid to make someone feel guilty for asking for help, especially when they feel guilted into it themselves.
4. ‘How was I supposed to know that?’
According to a study published in the Psychological Bulletin, people often weaponize their ignorance as a justification for selfish behaviors and mentalities. Instead of making an effort to understand and support the people in their lives, they instead act confused and pretend they “didn’t know” to protect their own selfishness and comfort.
That’s part of what makes them toxic partners and bad friends. They always put their own comfort and security first, even if it means overlooking struggling loved ones and making excuses for being bad people. Even when they’re called out, they never did anything wrong. They conveniently “didn’t know.”
5. ‘That’s not my problem’
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One study explained that people who lead with empathy and compassion tend to be happier, healthier, and more fulfilled, largely because they go out of their way to help and support others.
However, someone with a “that’s not my problem” mentality completely overlooks the need for empathy and instead operates from a selfish place, disconnecting them from the world around them. That’s part of the reason why evil people are often so antisocial, because they actually don’t care about anyone but themselves.
They might be able to perform or put on a mask to be charismatic, but after the first impression, they’ll always reveal their true selfish selves.
6. ‘You’ll regret that’
Part of what characterizes an evil person is their ability to make other people feel afraid of them. Their loved ones walk on eggshells because they never know if they’re doing the right thing or compensating for an evil person’s superiority enough to feel secure.
No matter what you do or say, an evil person always finds a way to make you feel bad about yourself or insecure in your present. That’s not random. They thrive when you’re in your most insecure and vulnerable state, even if that means threatening you themselves.
7. ‘That’s embarrassing for you’
With a life that’s so centered around status and self-image, it’s not surprising that weaponizing complex experiences of shame, embarrassment, and humiliation, especially in public settings, is a common behavior for truly evil people.
As psychologist Joni E. Johnston explains, humiliation often threatens our status and security, which makes it easier for an evil person to step in and take our places or make themselves feel more powerful.
Whether that’s using phrases like “that’s so embarrassing for you” in favor of support when someone makes a mistake in public or actively creating rumors and gossip that shame another person, they’re not afraid to weaponize the emotional consequences of social pain in their favor.
8. ‘I didn’t ask’
Historically, weaponizing shame and humiliation is a mode of grasping power and authority, even in institutions like the workplace. However, for evil people, it’s become a daily ritual that helps them to feel more powerful, even when they’re operating from a place of shame and insecurity. It’s projection in its truest form, but that doesn’t usually make it any less harmful or manipulative in practice.
When someone asks for help or shares their opinions, especially at the expense of an evil person’s attention, it often comes with a phrase like “I didn’t ask” or “I didn’t care.” They make others shut down and resort to them for permission, all in the pursuit of importance and power.
9. ‘That’s what you get’
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According to a study from the University of Copenhagen, “evil” people often share an umbrella of “dark triad” traits ranging from psychological entitlement to spitefulness. While these traits can mesh or show up differently depending on the person and environment, they’re usually driven by internal turmoil, anger, or superiority that sabotages their connections and empathy.
They don’t care if they have to manipulate, threaten, or spitefully blame someone else to feel better about themselves, which is why you’ll often hear a phrase like “that’s what you get” from an evil person in the most casual conversations.
10. ‘It’s not that serious’
Especially to cover their own tracks and justify their own misbehavior, evil people are prone to gaslighting others with phrases like “it’s not that serious” or “you’re overreacting.” They refuse to take accountability or own up to anything, unless, of course, they’re going to be praised and rewarded for doing so in a tangible way.
If their main goal is to have control over other people, gaslighting people is how they get there, because not only does it make people feel unsure and doubtful, but it also often removes their sense of agency over time.
11. ‘I don’t need anyone’
One of the most recognizable traits in an “evil” person is their antisocial mindset. However, their “I don’t need anyone” mentality typically stems from selfishness and superiority rather than a lack of social skills.
They believe that if they pretend they don’t need relationships and support, they don’t have to give that kind of effort or attention to other people. They can use people and craft transactional dynamics, without ever feeling pressure to inconvenience others in the name of work.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a senior editorial strategist with a bachelor’s degree in social relations & policy and gender studies who focuses on psychology, relationships, self-help, and human interest stories.
