malevolence
Americannoun
Synonym Usage
Malevolence, malignity, rancor suggest the wishing of harm to others. Malevolence is a smoldering ill will: a vindictive malevolence in her expression. Malignity is a deep-seated and virulent disposition to injure; it is more dangerous than malevolence, because it is not only more completely concealed but it often instigates harmful acts: The malignity of his nature was shocking. Rancor is a lasting, corrosive, and implacable hatred and resentment.
Etymology
Origin of malevolence
First recorded in 1425–75; from Latin malevolentia, from malevolent- (stem of malevolēns malevolent ) + -ia -y; replacing late Middle English malivolence, from Middle French, from Latin, as above
Explanation
Malevolence is a nasty, wicked, evil quality. When you're full of malevolence, you wish harm on others. Translated from the Latin, malevolence means to wish for bad things — to have ill will. What sets malevolence apart from other kinds of hatefulness is that it implies a deliberate wish for evil. A small child might be mean out of anger or spite, but probably not out of malevolence. Malevolence requires more thought: it's a deeper, more profound kind of badness often associated with devils and villains.
Vocabulary lists containing malevolence
The Tragedy of Macbeth
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"The Black Cat" by Edgar Allan Poe
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And Then There Were None
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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.
"He has shown a high level of malevolence, manipulation, and I would go so far as to say evil."
From BBC • Dec. 12, 2025
After messaging became direct, Mr Price said there was never "malevolence" and that all the numbers she contacted were publicly available after being leaked in the Portuguese police files.
From BBC • Nov. 4, 2025
Elordi’s “combination of beauty and something combustible” made him perfect for Heathcliff, says Fennell, adding that in the role he all but turns malevolence into a virtue.
From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 30, 2025
By evading malevolence and earnestly focusing on the strength of the human spirit, Ross paints a vital portrait of resilience that puts the director in a class all his own.
From Salon • Dec. 13, 2024
In the valley below, the orchids glowed with pale malevolence in the moonlight, a frozen sea against the dark shore of the forest.
From "Uglies" by Scott Westerfeld
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.
