malignancy

noun

ma·​lig·​nan·​cy mə-ˈlig-nən(t)-sē 

plural malignancies

1

: the quality or state of being malignant

2

a

: exhibition (as by a tumor) of malignant qualities : virulence

b

: a malignant tumor

Synonyms of malignancy

• malice
• venom
• hatred
• cruelty

Examples of malignancy in a Sentence

the malignancy of the tumor

The test revealed a malignancy in the patient's chest.

Recent Examples on the Web

And in 2025, UCSD researchers were awarded $25 million to develop biomarkers capable of anticipating tumor evolution and predicting how malignancies will respond to treatment. —Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Apr. 2026

Metastatic pancreatic cancer patients who received a targeted pill from Revolution Medicines lived nearly twice as long as patients who received chemotherapy, a striking result in an especially deadly and intractable malignancy. —Jason Mast, STAT, 13 Apr. 2026

Her doctors are determining if the malignancy was caught early. —Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 19 Feb. 2026

An effective treatment for pancreatic cancer would represent a major advance against one of the most lethal malignancies. —IEEE Spectrum, 22 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1601, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

malignancy

noun

ma·​lig·​nan·​cy mə-ˈlig-nən-sē 

plural malignancies

1

: the quality or state of being malignant

2

: a malignant tumor

Medical Definition

malignancy

noun

ma·​lig·​nan·​cy mə-ˈlig-nən-sē 

plural malignancies

1

: the quality or state of being malignant

2

a

: exhibition (as by a tumor) of malignant qualities : virulence

b

: a malignant tumor