malevolent

[ muh-lev-uh-luhnt ]
See synonyms for: malevolentmalevolently on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. wishing evil or harm to another or others; showing ill will; ill-disposed; malicious: His failures made him malevolent toward those who were successful.

  2. evil; harmful; injurious: a malevolent inclination to destroy the happiness of others.

  1. Astrology. evil or malign in influence.

Origin of malevolent

1
First recorded in 1500–10; from Latin malevolent-, stem of malevolēns “ill-disposed, spiteful,” from male- male- + volēns “wanting” (present participle of velle “to want, wish for, desire”; see also will1)

Other words from malevolent

  • ma·lev·o·lent·ly, adverb
  • un·ma·lev·o·lent, adjective
  • un·ma·lev·o·lent·ly, adverb

Words that may be confused with malevolent

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use malevolent in a sentence

  • After we finish laughing malevolently and gloating sometime in December, would it change things in the actual world?

  • The skull had rolled a few paces away, and lay there grinning malevolently up at them.

    Warrior of the Dawn | Howard Carleton Browne
  • All the while the great white dog was walking up and down behind him, eyeing his calves and snarling malevolently.

    A Frontier Mystery | Bertram Mitford
  • The beady eyes of the Chis-chis-chash beamed malevolently on the white chief—the blood-thirst, the warrior's itch, was upon them.

    The Way of an Indian | Frederic Remington
  • The High Priest was staring at him malevolently, his slanted eyes fastened on his garb of furs.

British Dictionary definitions for malevolent

malevolent

/ (məˈlɛvələnt) /


adjective
  1. wishing or appearing to wish evil to others; malicious

  2. astrology having an evil influence

Origin of malevolent

1
C16: from Latin malevolens, from male ill + volens, present participle of velle to wish

Derived forms of malevolent

  • malevolence, noun
  • malevolently, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012