malignant

adjective

mə-ˈlig-nənt How to pronounce malignant (audio)
Definition of malignantnext
as in malicious
having or showing a desire to cause someone pain or suffering for the sheer enjoyment of it a malignant wish to lash out at everyone who was smarter, richer, or better-looking than he was

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 malignant An analysis of 1,000 tissue samples representing 11 major organs in just over 400 male donors has now delivered a clear map and expression profile of missing Y chromosomes in typical, pre-cancerous, and malignant tumors. — Mike McRae 20, New Atlas, 21 Sep. 2026 The analysis also revealed significant stroke risk elevations for adults diagnosed with bladder, stomach, and liver cancers, as well as myeloid leukemia and malignant brain and nervous system tumors. — Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 9 Sep. 2026 Perhaps the most intriguing risk factor for psychopathology gleaned from clinical psychological science, and one that is particularly relevant to the assessment and treatment of postpartum psychopathology, is malignant self-criticism. — Torie Bosch, STAT, 5 Sep. 2026 Amabile revealed in July that he was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor after receiving results from an MRI. — Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 2 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for malignant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for malignant
  1. malicious
  2. vicious
  3. cruel
  4. hateful
  5. nasty
Adjective
  • The malicious system component silently installs apps that look like weather tools, app lockers and other everyday utilities.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The Federal Bureau of Investigation also warned that malicious actors could exploit the vulnerabilities to execute code remotely, putting sensitive data and networks at risk.
    — Jenny Lee, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of malicious
Adjective
  • The vicious cycle of the current model, of course, is that to become marketable a team needs to get and retain good players, and to do that a school has to spend money, which cycles the whole thing back to the start.
    — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Governments were expected to rescue struggling banks, which held large amounts of sovereign debt, creating a vicious cycle.
    — Jenni Reid,Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of vicious
Adjective
  • Participants fell into their roles a little too well and, after a prisoner rebellion, increasingly cruel forms of punishment from the guards and a number of students suffering mental breakdowns, the experiment was ended on the sixth day.
    — Marlow Stern, Variety, 25 Oct. 2026
  • But these townswomen — whether the undersexed Bakerwoman (Ella Bruccoleri ) or the prim, cruel busybody the Tailor’s Wife (a deliciously scheming Elizabeth Debicki) — are deeply unhappy with their own lot in life.
    — Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of cruel
Adjective
  • Manchester police say over the weekend, vandals wreaked havoc leaving several hateful, antisemitic, racist and homophobic slurs on people's property.
    — Paul Burton, CBS News, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Ossoff went a step further, accusing Collins himself of amplifying hateful content and saying that his former congressional aide had intervened on behalf of a Holocaust denier.
    — AJC.com, AJC.com, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of hateful
Adjective
  • With American Family Field rocking, Ashby reared back and threw a nasty curve that Díaz tried to hold up on.
    — Jacob Lev, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Of course, there has been some criticism of this plan, as France is experiencing some pretty nasty civil unrest at the moment, but the game will go ahead, with the Saints having been in the country for a few days already.
    — Matt Reigle OutKick, FOXNews.com, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of nasty

Browse Nearby Words

malignancy
malignant
malignantly
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Cite this Entry

“Malignant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/malignant. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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