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

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 malignant 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 Busy Philipps underwent two invasive surgeries this spring related to a malignant tumor in her brain. — Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 26 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for malignant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for malignant
  1. malicious
  2. vicious
  3. cruel
  4. hateful
  5. nasty
Adjective
  • Moreover, the perpetrators do not appear to have used malicious code on the fridge controllers, potentially complicating efforts to track down who carried out the cyberattack, added Aimé.
    — Sana Noor Haq, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The best way to protect yourself from malicious links that install malware and potentially access your private information is to have antivirus software installed on all your devices.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of malicious
Adjective
  • So too, the possibility of Rollerball-style carnage carnivals where robots compete in vicious cage matches until only one android is still moving.
    — Rick Burton, Sportico.com, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Cash reserves totaling $ 7,450,869 are being used to eviscerate his opponent with a vicious barrage of ad hominem assaults, thus giving him a 61 to 1 spending edge.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of vicious
Adjective
  • In response to legislation to end the cruelty once and for all, the Daily News once again trotted out its old and tired defense of this cruel, deadly and outdated industry.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Policing cringe is the cruelest métier of the internet—the origin of harassment campaigns and platforming of contempt.
    — Eugenie Brinkema, ARTnews.com, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of cruel
Adjective
  • 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
  • Online trolls posting hateful comments on social media don't establish how the crowd at Gainbridge behaves.
    — Dan Zaksheske OutKick, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of hateful
Adjective
  • The polls still show a close-range contest, but in the increasingly nasty ad war, the spending suggests a far more lopsided fight.
    — Philip Elliott, Time, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Officers then cuffed the youngster as he was loaded into an ambulance and hospitalized for a fractured femur and a nasty bruise on his head, according to the lawsuit, which was filed by the teen’s dad, Mahmoud Saleh, in Brooklyn Federal Court.
    — John Annese, New York Daily News, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of nasty

Browse Nearby Words

malignancy
malignant
malignantly
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Malignant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/malignant. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of compunction

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All