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Synonyms

malignancy

American  
[muh-lig-nuhn-see] / məˈlɪg nən si /
Also malignance

noun

  • malignancies
    plural
  1. the quality or condition of being malignant.

  2. malignant character, behavior, action, or the like.

    the malignancies of war.

  3. a malignant tumor.


malignancy British  
/ məˈlɪɡnənsɪ /

noun

  1. the state or quality of being malignant

  2. pathol a cancerous growth

"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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns


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.

See Examples For:

"Similar delays may place other patients at risk of delayed diagnosis of malignancy and death."

From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026

Unknown to her, the malignancy metastasized during her pregnancy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 14, 2026

Mary’s presence is a malignancy, a blight on the name that Sam has worked so hard to build, an identity that’s separate from Mary’s and secure in its solitude.

From Salon ● Apr. 24, 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

The ultraviolet radiation in sunlight could cause malignancy.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

She replied that the doctor would have immediately talked to my father and me if he had found visible malignancies, but that the biopsy would say more.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 3, 2026

By showing how interactions between immune and stromal cells drive these changes, the study offers a model for exploring inflammatory remodeling in other myeloid malignancies and advanced leukemia.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 19, 2025

In women aged 40 to 49 the most common malignancies were breast, melanoma, and colorectal cancers.

From BBC ● Mar. 25, 2024

The most common side effects of Xolair are injection site reactions and fever, but the FDA noted that the drug has also been associated with joint pain, rash, parasitic infections, malignancies and abnormal laboratory tests.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 16, 2024

There is, however, one presently known exception to the fact that a long period of latency is common to most malignancies.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

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