as in malice
the desire to cause pain for the satisfaction of doing harm
one of the characters in the novel is a cruel oppressor of such malignity that he came to be one of the most famous villains in all of literature
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of malignity
His Cyrano is the play’s hero, even if the character’s psychological limitations are as much a factor in the story as the machinations of De Guiche, whose malignity is sent up in Nathanson’s flamboyantly comic turn.
—
Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2024
For a decade, the central drama of Trumpism has concerned the Republican élites who continued to support him—the story has been about their malignity, or opportunism, or willful moral blindness.
—Benjamin Wallace-Wells, The New Yorker, 16 Sep. 2023
Though Bilger does not quite say so, his grandfather emerges as a case study in the capacity for compartmentalization that is arguably more destructive of morality than outright malignity.
—Fintan O’Toole, The New York Review of Books, 20 July 2023
In a landscape of such confused malignity as capital-p Publishing, who actually suffers from an act like June’s?
—Zoe Hu, Washington Post, 12 May 2023
American exceptionalism has two faces, equally transfixed with a sense of specialness—one radiant with the nation’s unique beneficence, the other sunk in its unrivaled malignity.
—George Packer, The Atlantic, 21 Nov. 2022
Modernist malignity has long been a topic of discussion in architectural circles.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 27 Oct. 2022
Where Moyn is driven by a photonegative of American exceptionalism—a sense that American power is a singular force of malignity in the world—Arkin is concerned that this perpetual-war machine is at odds with America’s strategic interests.
—Dexter Filkins, The New Yorker, 6 Sep. 2021
Decades of miserable history had to pass before the comedy buried within their malignity was revealed, like a vein of ore uncovered by a natural catastrophe.
—Ian Frazier, The New Yorker, 19 Aug. 2019
Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2024
For a decade, the central drama of Trumpism has concerned the Republican élites who continued to support him—the story has been about their malignity, or opportunism, or willful moral blindness.
—Benjamin Wallace-Wells, The New Yorker, 16 Sep. 2023
Though Bilger does not quite say so, his grandfather emerges as a case study in the capacity for compartmentalization that is arguably more destructive of morality than outright malignity.
—Fintan O’Toole, The New York Review of Books, 20 July 2023
In a landscape of such confused malignity as capital-p Publishing, who actually suffers from an act like June’s?
—Zoe Hu, Washington Post, 12 May 2023
American exceptionalism has two faces, equally transfixed with a sense of specialness—one radiant with the nation’s unique beneficence, the other sunk in its unrivaled malignity.
—George Packer, The Atlantic, 21 Nov. 2022
Modernist malignity has long been a topic of discussion in architectural circles.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 27 Oct. 2022
Where Moyn is driven by a photonegative of American exceptionalism—a sense that American power is a singular force of malignity in the world—Arkin is concerned that this perpetual-war machine is at odds with America’s strategic interests.
—Dexter Filkins, The New Yorker, 6 Sep. 2021
Decades of miserable history had to pass before the comedy buried within their malignity was revealed, like a vein of ore uncovered by a natural catastrophe.
—Ian Frazier, The New Yorker, 19 Aug. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for malignity
Noun
-
Global banks aren’t necessarily acting out of malice.—
Wale Ayeni,
semafor.com,
14 July 2025
-
Beneath the inevitable finger-pointing and politicizing, there is often a genuine, even desperate, human impulse to find fault not out of malice, but out of mourning and a desire to find solutions.—
Alexander Puutio,
Forbes.com,
8 July 2025
Noun
-
Do not follow the myths by trying to suck out the venom or cutting the wound or even using a tourniquet.—
Nicole Villalpando,
Austin American Statesman,
11 July 2025
-
Beyond dialing 911 and seeking medical attention, Starkey and the National Park Service recommend taking these actions in the aftermath of a rattler strike: Stop moving the limb where the bite occurred to limit the spread of the venom.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
9 July 2025
Noun
-
The new law adds to existing municipal ordinances that forbid animal cruelty or neglect, including leaving a pet in too small of a space or outside in the hot Florida sun.—
Shira Moolten,
Sun Sentinel,
3 July 2025
-
The record got its name from a title track that comes mid-album, a plucky, haunting Americana song that explores the ties between love and cruelty.—
Audrey Gibbs,
The Tennessean,
2 July 2025
Noun
-
There’s a great tradition in sports of being driven by a fear, or a hatred, of that feeling.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
14 July 2025
-
She’s been feeling so much hatred, so much anger, so much sadness, so much disappointment these last few episodes.—
Lynette Rice,
Deadline,
13 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Malignity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/malignity. Accessed 23 Jul. 2025.
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