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canker

noun [C usually singular] (EVIL)
 
 
/ˈkæŋ.kər/ US  /-kɚ/ formal

Definition

something evil that spreads through a person's mind, an organization, or a society: Poverty is a canker eating away at the heart of society.Morally wrong and evilDishonest
(Definition of canker noun (EVIL) from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

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