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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of malevolent
Legacy ended with Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund), son of Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) from the original film, preventing the digital world from bleeding into the real world, as planned by the Grid's malevolent ruling program, Clu.
—
ArsTechnica, 5 Apr. 2025
The reality is that there are malevolent elites who exist—individuals who seek to consolidate their power and wealth by dismantling the state, the very system of laws and accountability that once kept them in check.
—Jason D. Greenblatt, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Apr. 2025
And what was the House Un-American Activities Committee but one big, malevolent exercise in gossip-mongering?
—Alexandra Schwartz, The New Yorker, 17 Mar. 2025
On the flip side of things, Hopkins brings a malevolent gravitas to William, calling on his iconic tenure as Hannibal Lecter to play the car’s vindictive and psychopathic owner.
—Josh Weiss, Forbes, 23 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for malevolent
ArsTechnica, 5 Apr. 2025
The reality is that there are malevolent elites who exist—individuals who seek to consolidate their power and wealth by dismantling the state, the very system of laws and accountability that once kept them in check.
—Jason D. Greenblatt, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Apr. 2025
And what was the House Un-American Activities Committee but one big, malevolent exercise in gossip-mongering?
—Alexandra Schwartz, The New Yorker, 17 Mar. 2025
On the flip side of things, Hopkins brings a malevolent gravitas to William, calling on his iconic tenure as Hannibal Lecter to play the car’s vindictive and psychopathic owner.
—Josh Weiss, Forbes, 23 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for malevolent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for malevolent
Adjective
-
These emails might include malicious links designed to install malware or steal login information.—
Kurt Knutsson, CyberGuy Report,
FOXNews.com,
16 Apr. 2025
-
Time to update: Apple has discovered hackers exploiting an iOS bug via malicious media files.—
Michael Kan,
PC Magazine,
16 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
This was a vicious weaponization of your government.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Apr. 2025
-
Shauna may be the vicious Antler Queen now, but Lottie also played a role in Mari’s death.—
Jackie Strause,
HollywoodReporter,
15 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Everybody else has no choice, really, other than to bring a cruel, narcissistic far-right leader to power.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
10 Apr. 2025
-
Jokes that didn’t land with the squad The kids in Bad Influence say the pranks were the most cruel.—
Olivia B. Waxman,
Time,
9 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
As quickly as the Oakland Parks Department paints over these hateful tropes, fresh ones appear.—
Mark Cohen,
The Mercury News,
10 Mar. 2025
-
Unfortunately, Oakland’s antisemitism has escalated beyond hateful words.—
Mark Cohen,
The Mercury News,
10 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Malevolent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/malevolent. Accessed 20 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share