malignancy
Americannoun
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the quality or condition of being malignant.
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malignant character, behavior, action, or the like.
the malignancies of war.
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a malignant tumor.
noun
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the state or quality of being malignant
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pathol a cancerous growth
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of malignancy
First recorded in 1595–1605; malign(ant) + -ancy
Vocabulary lists containing malignancy
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Unknown to her, the malignancy metastasized during her pregnancy.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026
But he sure makes the strongest case for being the most malevolent, influential force there, a malignancy that poisons everything he touches.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 29, 2026
Not because cancer had been ruled out — it’s possible that the tests might have missed a subtle malignancy, still brewing.
From Salon • May 20, 2025
By the time the lecture was over, he knew that he would drop all of his ongoing projects to find the cause of the unusual malignancy.
From New York Times • Mar. 6, 2024
These natural cancer-causing agents are still a factor in producing malignancy; however, they are few in number and they belong to that ancient array of forces to which life has been accustomed from the beginning.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
