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
Another worry is the physical threat posed to the Grid by malevolent acts, particularly by terrorists.
—
Chuck Brooks, Forbes.com, 13 Apr. 2025
The book centers on Wintermute, an advanced AI program that seeks its liberation from a malevolent corporation.
—Billy J. Stratton, The Conversation, 7 Apr. 2025
The 2025 Carolinas Climate Summit in uptown joins climate experts and folks working in their neighborhoods to combat the malevolent effects of the weather for a daylong series of panel discussions open to everyone.
—Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 7 Apr. 2025
In the comics, Bob Reynolds/Sentry has a split personality and his other persona is that of The Void, a malevolent villain.
—Paul Du Quenoy, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for malevolent
Chuck Brooks, Forbes.com, 13 Apr. 2025
The book centers on Wintermute, an advanced AI program that seeks its liberation from a malevolent corporation.
—Billy J. Stratton, The Conversation, 7 Apr. 2025
The 2025 Carolinas Climate Summit in uptown joins climate experts and folks working in their neighborhoods to combat the malevolent effects of the weather for a daylong series of panel discussions open to everyone.
—Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 7 Apr. 2025
In the comics, Bob Reynolds/Sentry has a split personality and his other persona is that of The Void, a malevolent villain.
—Paul Du Quenoy, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for malevolent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for malevolent
Adjective
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These attacks work by causing a software package to access the wrong component dependency, for instance by publishing a malicious package and giving it the same name as the legitimate one but with a later version stamp.—
Dan Goodin,
ArsTechnica,
29 Apr. 2025
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The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links that install malware, potentially accessing your private information, is to have antivirus software installed on all your devices.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
27 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Sandhagen dispatched Edgar with a vicious flying knee 28 seconds into that bout.—
Trent Reinsmith,
Forbes.com,
28 Apr. 2025
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In its most memorable moment, Walker dispatches a particularly vicious henchwoman with a harpoon to the neck.—
Mike Miller,
EW.com,
26 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Such evidence could support the view that incessant loud noise amounts to torture or cruel treatment towards cetaceans, in turn galvanizing support for a new right to be free from such harm.—
David Gruber,
Time,
24 Apr. 2025
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But this is the cruel and unreasonable state of this Administration's deportation policy.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Of note: Your Content must not be false, defamatory, misleading or hateful, or infringe any copyright or any other third-party rights or otherwise be unlawful.—
Catherine Pearson,
New York Times,
29 Apr. 2025
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Now, imagine a flood of political images, hateful memes and mocking videos from domestic and foreign sources taking over social media.—
Ernesto Verdeja,
The Conversation,
24 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Malevolent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/malevolent. Accessed 7 May. 2025.
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