as in malicious
having or showing a desire to cause someone pain or suffering for the sheer enjoyment of it
the novel grossly oversimplified the conflict as a struggle between relentlessly malevolent villains on one side and faultless saints on the other
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Recent Examples of malevolent
Girls trying to learn to negotiate the world, repressive institutions in cavernous spaces and obscurely malevolent authority figures, all suffused in an atmosphere of menace, are her recurring motifs.
—
Stephanie Bunbury, Deadline, 16 Feb. 2025
In the movie, this theme is played out as Jimmy’s spirit grows more and more malevolent, showing that disrupting the natural order of life and death isn’t just a faux pas in the realm of witchcraft but a dangerous road that can never truly lead to happiness or closure.
—Valerie Mesa, People.com, 19 Oct. 2024
The Death Star, the very target of Rogue One’s rebel plot, has been destroyed; the Empire — namely Darth Vader and his malevolent master, the Emperor — is on the hunt for rebels.
—Katie Rife, EW.com, 15 Feb. 2025
The impact of conspiracy theories about USAID is already being felt, and a crusade to paint the organization as a malevolent force by Musk threw them into the mainstream.
—Elizabeth Both, NBC News, 7 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for malevolent
Stephanie Bunbury, Deadline, 16 Feb. 2025
In the movie, this theme is played out as Jimmy’s spirit grows more and more malevolent, showing that disrupting the natural order of life and death isn’t just a faux pas in the realm of witchcraft but a dangerous road that can never truly lead to happiness or closure.
—Valerie Mesa, People.com, 19 Oct. 2024
The Death Star, the very target of Rogue One’s rebel plot, has been destroyed; the Empire — namely Darth Vader and his malevolent master, the Emperor — is on the hunt for rebels.
—Katie Rife, EW.com, 15 Feb. 2025
The impact of conspiracy theories about USAID is already being felt, and a crusade to paint the organization as a malevolent force by Musk threw them into the mainstream.
—Elizabeth Both, NBC News, 7 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for malevolent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for malevolent
Adjective
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As the technology behind deepfakes advances, the need to fight their malicious usage has never been greater.—
Rohan Pinto,
Forbes,
27 Feb. 2025
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Now, Microsoft has identified a resurfaced malware that has returned after years, equipped with new malicious capabilities, including stealing sensitive information such as digital wallets and data from the legitimate Notes app.—
Kurt Knutsson, CyberGuy Report,
Fox News,
27 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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More than 80 women went public with horrific tales of his brutal, coercive and punishing tactics, including launching vicious, career-crippling smear campaigns against those who eluded him, from Mira Sorvino to Ashley Judd.—
Scott Huver,
The Hollywood Reporter,
28 Feb. 2025
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Rushdie has since spoken out about the stabbing Rushdie, 77, testified in the Chautauqua County, New York trial and detailed the vicious attack that upended his life.—
Alana Wise,
NPR,
21 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Immigration advocates call the crackdown cruel and wrongheaded and warn that many Latino U.S. citizens will likely suffer violations of their civil rights and possibly even get mistakenly deported.—
Dave Goldiner,
New York Daily News,
6 Mar. 2025
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As mere surrogates, the Trump-DeSantis fight to outdo each other through mean and cruel policies will go on.—
Letters to the Editor,
Orlando Sentinel,
6 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Mayo tweeted four different screenshots appearing to come from his Instagram direct messages, all expressing hateful words at the transfer guard, following the Jayhawks’ 78-73 defeat to Texas Tech.—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
2 Mar. 2025
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The students were protesting the expulsion of two students who stormed a Columbia University classroom in January and allegedly threw around flyers filled with hateful speech.—
Stepheny Price,
Fox News,
28 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Malevolent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/malevolent. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
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