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
But the new film, set in 1986, finds the Warrens dealing with a bunch of personal matters, as well as a Pennsylvania family haunted by a mirror cursed with malevolent spirits.
—
Brian Truitt, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2025
The movie’s production team includes vet SFX supervisor Tony Gardner (The Blob), whose in-camera work will bring the malevolent forces that lurk in the forest to life.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 3 Sep. 2025
Last Rites, the duo’s last hurrah, features spiritual battles with their most malevolent enemies yet.
—Jack Smart, People.com, 31 Aug. 2025
Terrorism experts say Australia’s strict Covid restrictions – which closed state and territory borders for months – amplified distrust among people already open to suggestions that the government was a malevolent force.
—Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for malevolent
Brian Truitt, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2025
The movie’s production team includes vet SFX supervisor Tony Gardner (The Blob), whose in-camera work will bring the malevolent forces that lurk in the forest to life.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 3 Sep. 2025
Last Rites, the duo’s last hurrah, features spiritual battles with their most malevolent enemies yet.
—Jack Smart, People.com, 31 Aug. 2025
Terrorism experts say Australia’s strict Covid restrictions – which closed state and territory borders for months – amplified distrust among people already open to suggestions that the government was a malevolent force.
—Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for malevolent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for malevolent
Adjective
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The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links that install malware, potentially accessing your private information, is to have strong antivirus software installed on all your devices.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
27 Sep. 2025
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Servers running on motherboards sold by Supermicro contain high-severity vulnerabilities that can allow hackers to remotely install malicious firmware that runs even before the operating system, making infections impossible to detect or remove without unusual protections in place.—
Dan Goodin,
ArsTechnica,
24 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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This pervasive fragmentation creates a vicious cycle.—
Emeka Ajene,
semafor.com,
29 Sep. 2025
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Two officers responded and learned the teen had barricaded himself inside the upper unit of the duplex with several vicious dogs, according to a search warrant.—
Chris Ramirez,
jsonline.com,
25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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In a cruel exercise, each kid is provided with a pack of basic supplies and made to hike 50 miles through the wilderness to the top of Mount Otis.—
Erin Qualey,
Vulture,
25 Sep. 2025
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Community leader Araya Amsalu, who helped coordinate a vigil following the shooting, said knowing Eden had gone to law enforcement about Ericksen before made the shooting feel even more cruel.—
Matthew Cupelli,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Does the constitutional right to free speech protect offensive, even hateful speech?—
Scott Simon,
NPR,
27 Sep. 2025
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There is power in speaking up to reveal these hateful ideologies that have incited deadly violence.—
Christopher Tremoglie,
The Washington Examiner,
25 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Malevolent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/malevolent. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
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