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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Recent Examples of malignant
There is no predicting what joke might set off this particular malignant narcissist in chief, so really, who’s to say who is next?
—
Lizz Winstead, Time, 27 Sep. 2025
It has since been joined by Mosunetuzumab, Epcoritamab, and Glofitamab, all of which mobilize T cells against malignant B cells.
—William A. Haseltine, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Play it again, Towa Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree follows the titular character, a priestess of Shinju Village, on a time-hopping quest to protect the realm from a malignant entity called Magatsu.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 18 Sep. 2025
These, along with melanoma, make up the three malignant skin cancers.
—New Atlas, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for malignant
Lizz Winstead, Time, 27 Sep. 2025
It has since been joined by Mosunetuzumab, Epcoritamab, and Glofitamab, all of which mobilize T cells against malignant B cells.
—William A. Haseltine, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Play it again, Towa Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree follows the titular character, a priestess of Shinju Village, on a time-hopping quest to protect the realm from a malignant entity called Magatsu.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 18 Sep. 2025
These, along with melanoma, make up the three malignant skin cancers.
—New Atlas, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for malignant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for malignant
Adjective
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Police believe the act was done with malicious intent.—
Wren Smetana,
AZCentral.com,
26 Oct. 2025
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The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links is to have antivirus software installed on all your devices.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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This creates a vicious cycle where shame is a currency, and the only person who actually pays a price is the one who is mocked.—
Eli Thompson,
Rolling Stone,
25 Oct. 2025
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After their parents got the police involved, the case remained unsolved for months until the FBI uncovered the shocking truth of who was behind the vicious messages after all.—
James Mercadante,
PEOPLE,
25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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In Pahani’s 2006 award-winning comedy Offside, about the cruel cultural chains binding Iranian women, a group of young women attempt to gain entry to a stadium to watch a World Cup qualifying match between Iran and Japan.—
Baz Bamigboye,
Deadline,
24 Oct. 2025
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There is no reason to be cruel to people.—
Sigal Ratner-Arias,
Billboard,
23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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According to research from Copyleaks, an AI analysis firm that helps businesses and institutions navigate the shifting landscape of this emergent technology, a new trend has produced Sora videos of celebrities appearing to spew hateful racist epithets.—
Miles Klee,
Rolling Stone,
23 Oct. 2025
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Other fits have been hateful, veering into racist and antisemitic diatribes.—
Taijuan Moorman,
USA Today,
23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The human body holds several effective hiding spots that some of the world's nastiest viruses have discovered - like the eyes and the testes - that are beyond the reach of the immune system.—
NPR,
NPR,
24 Oct. 2025
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Another interesting point is that nasty anti-Trump name calling seemed toned down following the assassination of political activist Charlie Kirk.—
Peter Lucas,
Boston Herald,
23 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Malignant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/malignant. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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