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.
On Wednesday, the chair of the inquiry, Lord Brodie, asked why the health board had changed its position after alleging unprofessionalism and malevolence on the part of the medics who raised concerns.
From BBC ● Jan. 21, 2026
He concedes, quite ruefully, that in his coverage of war-torn Syria he utterly misread the malevolence of Bashar al-Assad.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 24, 2025
Owens brings a blend of loony energy and sincere malevolence that Cooper can’t quite muster.
From Salon ● Jul. 7, 2025
People who scored higher on the scale had greater control, which correlated with lower measures of hallucination severity and lower perceived malevolence and omnipotence of the voices.
From Salon ● Jun. 3, 2025
No, her pants were solid blue, and as the other Messengers cheered and clapped, her face shone simultaneously with malevolence and triumph.
From "The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
