Word
malevolent
Phoneticsmalev·o·lent
US/məˈɫɛvəɫənt/
UK/məlˈɛvələnt/
Definition
adj. having or showing a desire to cause harm or pain to others. You use this to describe someone who is intentionally mean or cruel.
adj. having or showing a desire to cause harm or pain to others. Often used to describe a person's intentions or a force that acts with ill will.
Examples
“He had a malevolent look in his eyes.”
“The software was designed to be malevolent, stealing personal data from the company's servers without permission.”
“The novel explores the concept of a malevolent force that subtly manipulates the protagonist's decisions, leading to a tragic and inevitable downfall.”
Examples
simple
“He had a malevolent look in his eyes.”
contextual
“The software was designed to be malevolent, stealing personal data from the company's servers without permission.”
complex
“The novel explores the concept of a malevolent force that subtly manipulates the protagonist's decisions, leading to a tragic and inevitable downfall.”
Real-World Examples
“You fight a malevolent paranormal force with an imaginative collection of supernatural kung fu moves, whose power and combo potential level up satisfyingly.” “Since this massacre, Riley keeps a strict sleep protocol as an adult, making sure anyone under the same roof drops off before her, which apparently protects them from the malevolent presence invading her nights.” Etymology
From Middle English *malevolent (suggested by Middle English malevolence), from Old French malivolent and Latin malevolentem, from male (“badly, wrongly”) + volens (“willing, wishing”), from velle (“to wish”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/malevolent