malevolent
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malevolent
- /məˈlɛvələnt/
Where it comes from
From Middle English *malevolent (suggested by Middle English malevolence), from Old French malivolent and Latin malevolentem, from male (“badly, wrongly”) + volens (“willing, wishing”), from velle (“to wish”).
adjective more malevolent · most malevolent
-
Having or displaying ill will; wishing harm on others.
In Iraq the bullying continued. After she witnessed the death of a colleague, Manning felt how “with enough grief, adrenaline and fear”, war can turn anyone “amoral, even malevolent”.
Similar: maleficent, malevolent, sinister, abandoned, arrant, bad, bad apple, bad seed, baleful, scurrilous, baneful, base · Opposite: benevolent
- Having an evil or harmful influence. Vela, Javier Hernández and Lozano switched positions with a thrillingly malevolent sense of purpose.
Translations
Every language
adj having or displaying ill will; wishing harm on others
| Español | malévolo, malintencionado |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 사악하다 saakhada |
| 日本語 | 邪悪な jaaku na |
| 中文 | 惡毒的 /恶毒的 èdú de |
| हिन्दी | द्वेषी dveṣī |
| Português | malevolente, malévolo, mal-intencionado |
| Français | malintentionné, malveillant, malévolent, maléfique, mauvais |
| Deutsch | böswillig |
| Italiano | malintenzionato |
| Ελληνικά | μοχθηρός mochthirós, κακόβουλος kakóvoulos |
| Română | rău intenționat |
| Русский | недоброжела́тельный nedobroželátelʹnyj, зло́бный zlóbnyj, злонаме́ренный zlonamérennyj, злора́дный zlorádnyj |
| العربية | حَاقِد ḥāqid, حَقُود ḥaqūd |
adj having an evil or harmful influence
| 日本語 | マレフィック marefikku |
|---|---|
| Português | malévolo |
| Français | malveillant, maléfique |
| Русский | зловре́дный zlovrédnyj |
Talk about this word "malevolent." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/malevolent. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. malevolent. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/malevolent "malevolent." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/malevolent.Cite this
@misc{malevolent_2026,
title = {malevolent},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/malevolent},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
