malevolent

[ muh-lev-uh-luhnt ]
/ məˈlɛv ə lənt /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR malevolent ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

wishing evil or harm to another or others; showing ill will; ill-disposed; malicious: His failures made him malevolent toward those who were successful.
evil; harmful; injurious: a malevolent inclination to destroy the happiness of others.
Astrology. evil or malign in influence.

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Origin of malevolent

1500–10; <Latin malevolent- (stem of malevolēns) ill-disposed, spiteful, equivalent to male-male- + volent- (stem of volēns), present participle of velle to want, wish for, desire (see will1, -ent)

OTHER WORDS FROM malevolent

ma·lev·o·lent·ly, adverbun·ma·lev·o·lent, adjectiveun·ma·lev·o·lent·ly, adverb

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH malevolent

maleficent, malevolent .

Words nearby malevolent

male-sterile, male-to-female, male Turner's syndrome, Malevich, malevolence, malevolent, malfeasance, malformation, malformed, malfunction, Malgaigne's luxation
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to malevolent

vengeful, malicious, murderous, sinister, vicious, malignant, wicked, baleful, catty, dirty, evil, evil-minded, hellish, hostile, lousy, malign, murder, pernicious, poison, rough

Example sentences from the Web for malevolent

British Dictionary definitions for malevolent

malevolent
/ (məˈlɛvələnt) /

adjective

wishing or appearing to wish evil to others; malicious
astrology having an evil influence

Derived forms of malevolent

malevolence, nounmalevolently, adverb

Word Origin for malevolent

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