Malevolent was taken into English directly from the Latin malevolens "ill-disposed, spiteful," which paired male with volens, the present participle of a verb meaning "to wish." In Latin, the combination literally …

MALEVOLENT definition: wishing evil or harm to another or others; showing ill will; ill-disposed; malicious. See examples of malevolent used in a sentence.

It has been proposed that delusions of persecution are caused by the tendency to overattribute malevolent intentions to other people's actions. They generally have malevolent and predatory …

Definition of malevolent adjective in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.

Factsheet What does the word malevolent mean? There are six meanings listed in OED's entry for the word malevolent, three of which are labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, …

A malevolent person deliberately tries to cause harm or evil. Her stare was malevolent.

Dec 10, 2025 · malevolent (comparative more malevolent, superlative most malevolent) Having or displaying ill will; wishing harm on others. quotations

1. Having or exhibiting ill will; wishing harm to others; malicious. 2. Having a harmful influence: malevolent stars.

Her reputation has been hurt by malevolent [= malicious] gossip.

Malevolent comes from the Latin word malevolens, which means "ill-disposed, spiteful"; its opposite is benevolent, which means "wishing good things for others." A malevolent person might display …