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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of malignant
Their media empire may be a malignant blight on the world, but their vulnerabilities gave the show depth and tonal variety.
—
Scott Tobias, Vulture, 17 May 2026
The therapist conceals her own malignant vices behind smiles and warmth, and the two share secrets that neither is prepared for.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 13 May 2026
Doctors there found heart arrhythmia and a lung tumor his family feared was malignant.
—ABC News, 8 May 2026
While most are harmless, some have the potential to become malignant over time.
—Holly Burns, Time, 6 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for malignant
Scott Tobias, Vulture, 17 May 2026
The therapist conceals her own malignant vices behind smiles and warmth, and the two share secrets that neither is prepared for.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 13 May 2026
Doctors there found heart arrhythmia and a lung tumor his family feared was malignant.
—ABC News, 8 May 2026
While most are harmless, some have the potential to become malignant over time.
—Holly Burns, Time, 6 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for malignant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for malignant
Adjective
-
Tech companies are developing tools and collaborating, yet voluntary efforts struggle against sophisticated malicious actors.—
Richard Fowler,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
-
For cybersecurity companies, identifying a digital agent crawling a website used to be enough evidence of malicious activity.—
Rachyl Jones,
semafor.com,
17 June 2026
Adjective
-
The story follows vicious ex-con, Max Cady (Bardem) and his revenge plot against married couple Tom (Patrick Wilson) and Anna Bowden (Adams).—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2026
-
Mahmic’s vicious goal in traffic salvaged some good feeling before a decisive showdown with Qatar next week.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
18 June 2026
Adjective
-
Passing a child who is unprepared may be the cruelest act of all.—
Harriette Cole,
Mercury News,
20 June 2026
-
This is your news to share or not share; posting about this on Facebook strikes me as cruel.—
Eric Thomas,
Sun Sentinel,
20 June 2026
Adjective
-
On Sunday, June 14, UFC fighter Josh Hokit took the opportunity after his win on the White House lawn to repeat a hateful lie about the former first lady.—
Anna Lazarus Caplan,
PEOPLE,
18 June 2026
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Authorities suspect Mullis placed antisemitic flyers showing hateful symbols such as a noose, a swastika and imagery associated with the German Nazi Party.—
Maveah Griffith
June 12,
Charlotte Observer,
12 June 2026
Adjective
-
Those early 2010s Blackhawks teams were nasty, and they were all led by Toews.—
Matt Reigle,
FOXNews.com,
19 June 2026
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Lindy Ruff’s system was a tough fit, and a nasty ankle injury derailed his initial momentum in upstate New York.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
17 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Malignant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/malignant. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
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