malevolently

adverb

as in villainously
in a mean or spiteful manner "I'll get you yet!" she hissed malevolently

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 malevolently Images of Labubus beamed malevolently from their packaging, as if gloating in their unreachability. — Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 20 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for malevolently
  1. maliciously
  2. despitefully
  3. bitterly
  4. viciously
  5. wickedly
Adverb
  • The president, who has long insisted that someone maliciously vandalized the lining of the pool with a knife or boxcutter, first rebuked Pirro's decision to drop the Hearn case in a Saturday social media post.
    — Emily Chang, ABC News, 3 Aug. 2026
  • During his arraignment a month later, Brown pleaded not guilty to one count of attempting to unlawfully and maliciously cause grievous bodily harm with intent.
    — Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 24 July 2026
Definition of maliciously
Adverb
  • In other words, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you.
    — Derek Robertson, The Washington Examiner, 8 Aug. 2025
Definition of despitefully
Adverb
  • Congressional Republicans are headed into the home stretch ahead of a crucial midterm election year bitterly divided over their competing legislative priorities.
    — Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 4 Aug. 2026
  • There were riots, protests and a bitterly divisive war in Vietnam that looked intractable.
    — Steven Johnson, Washington Post, 14 July 2026
Definition of bitterly
Adverb
  • Enzo Fernandez, who already was booked for a first-half yellow card, viciously tackled Spanish defender Pau Cubarsí.
    — Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 19 July 2026
  • Yet somehow, two decades later, the viciously antisemitic Vichy regime planted itself in power; a shocking betrayal by France of some of its most loyal and generous supporters, in a dehumanizing toxic swamp of suspicion, judgment, envy.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 July 2026
Definition of viciously
Adverb
  • This is a wickedly precise rendering of a young, self-destructive heroine worshiping at the altar of a false idol—and narrated in hindsight, from her later, more perspicacious vantage.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 July 2026
  • But the real coup is Dippold's command of tone, deftly pivoting between nightmarish, surreal, wickedly funny, and soul-stirring modes, sometimes within single scenes.
    — Samantha Highfill, Entertainment Weekly, 6 July 2026
Definition of wickedly

Browse Nearby Words

malevolent
malevolently
malfeasance
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Malevolently.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/malevolently. Accessed 10 Aug. 2026.

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