Adjacent Words

Malevolent definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

MALEV'OLENT, a. Having an evil disposition towards another or others; wishing evil to others; ill disposed, or disposed to injure others. A malevolent heart rejoices in the misfortunes of others.
1. Unfavorable; unpropitious; bringing calamity.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: wishing or appearing to wish evil to others; arising from intense ill will or hatred; "a gossipy malevolent old woman"; "failure made him malevolent toward those who were successful"
2: having or exerting a malignant influence; "malevolent stars"; "a malefic force" [syn: malefic, malevolent, malign, evil]

Merriam Webster's

adjective Etymology: Latin malevolent-, malevolens, from male badly + volent-, volens, present participle of velle to wish — more at mal-, will Date: 1509 1. having, showing, or arising from intense often vicious ill will, spite, or hatred 2. productive of harm or evil • malevolently adverb

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. wishing evil to others. Derivatives: malevolence n. malevolently adv. Etymology: OF malivolent or f. L malevolens f. male ill + volens willing, part. of velle

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Malevolent Ma*lev"o*lent, a. [L. malevolens, -entis; male ill + volens, p. pr. of velle to be willing or disposed, to wish. See Malice, and Voluntary.] Wishing evil; disposed to injure others; rejoicing in another's misfortune. Syn: Ill-disposed; envious; mischievous; evil-minded; spiteful; malicious; malignant; rancorous.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

A malevolent person deliberately tries to cause harm or evil. (FORMAL) Her stare was malevolent, her mouth a thin line. ? benevolent ADJ • malevolence ...a rare streak of malevolence. ? benevolence • malevolently Mark watched him malevolently. ADV

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

a. Malicious, malignant, spiteful, ill-disposed, ill-natured, hostile, envious, mischievous, evil-minded, resentful, rancorous.

Moby Thesaurus

acrid, antagonistic, antipathetic, bad, baleful, baneful, belligerent, bitchy, bitter, black, caustic, clashing, colliding, conflicting, corroding, corrosive, corrupting, corruptive, counterproductive, criminal, damaging, deadly, deleterious, despiteful, detrimental, disadvantageous, disserviceable, distressing, evil, evil-disposed, full of hate, harmful, hateful, hostile, hurtful, ill, ill-affected, ill-conditioned, ill-disposed, ill-intentioned, ill-natured, improper, inaccurate, inauspicious, inexpedient, inferior, injurious, invalid, lethal, malefic, maleficent, malicious, malign, malignant, mischievous, noisome, noxious, ominous, peccant, pernicious, poisonous, prejudicial, quarrelsome, rancorous, repugnant, scatheful, set against, sinful, sinister, sore, spiteful, toxic, unfavorable, unhealthy, unkind, unpleasant, unskillful, untoward, venenate, veneniferous, venenous, venomous, vicious, virulent, vitriolic, wicked, wrong