as in malice
the desire to cause pain for the satisfaction of doing harm
the reviewer was criticized not for his negative review of the singer's album but for the malignance with which he expressed his disapproval of her lavish lifestyle
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 malignance
This is a movement that many progressives view as promising to reinvigorate hearts and minds, but that others warn may deliver different doses of theological malignance.
—
Audrey Clare Farley, The New Republic, 3 Jan. 2022
Where purity culture twists normal desires into malignance?
—Washington Post, 19 Mar. 2021
By definition Mishler’s content attracts people seeking refuge, but the exceptional malignance of 2020 has colored both her videos and the attitude of her fan base.
—New York Times, 25 Nov. 2020
Consequently, the growth disruption itself has exacerbated the cultural and economic malignance that helped create the underperforming trend in the first place.
—David L. Bahnsen, National Review, 13 Feb. 2018
Audrey Clare Farley, The New Republic, 3 Jan. 2022
Where purity culture twists normal desires into malignance?
—Washington Post, 19 Mar. 2021
By definition Mishler’s content attracts people seeking refuge, but the exceptional malignance of 2020 has colored both her videos and the attitude of her fan base.
—New York Times, 25 Nov. 2020
Consequently, the growth disruption itself has exacerbated the cultural and economic malignance that helped create the underperforming trend in the first place.
—David L. Bahnsen, National Review, 13 Feb. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for malignance
Noun
-
DeBesse said the district concluded there was no malice on the part of the family.—
Charles Baggarly,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
27 May 2026
-
This is not malice or intention.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
27 May 2026
Noun
-
When picturing a predator, most people envision an animal with immense speed, sharp teeth or deadly venom.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
9 May 2026
-
Some people have an allergic reaction to the venom.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
In The Maids, for instance, Williams has applied a dewy contemporary sheen to Genet’s grungy French cruelty.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
27 May 2026
-
Baseball is a beautiful game, with cruelty sometimes just around the corner.—
Steve Fryer,
Oc Register,
27 May 2026
Noun
-
There is no kind of treatment that’s going to get rid of this body dysmorphia and hatred toward your body.—
Louis Staples,
Glamour,
27 May 2026
-
Silence enables hatred to grow.—
Michael Brunker,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 May 2026
Noun
-
Cancers of the head and neck include malignancies affecting the mouth and throat (called the oral cavity and pharynx), the voice box (larynx), the sinuses and nasal cavities, and the salivary glands.—
Mikkael Sekeres,
Washington Post,
18 May 2026
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Malignance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/malignance. Accessed 28 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
