Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The quality or state of being malevolent.
  • noun Malevolent behavior.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The character of being malevolent or ill-disposed; ill-will; personal hatred; enmity of heart; inclination to injure others.
  • noun That which is done from ill-will; an act of ill-will.
  • noun Synonyms Ill-will, Enmity, etc. See animosity.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun The quality or state of being malevolent; evil disposition toward another; inclination to injure others; ill will. See Synonym of malice.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Hostile attitude or feeling.
  • noun Behavior exhibiting a hostile attitude.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun the quality of threatening evil
  • noun wishing evil to others

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English, from Old French malivolence, from Latin malevolentia, from malevolēns, malevolent-, malevolent : male, badly; see mel- in Indo-European roots + volēns, present participle of velle, to want; see wel- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From the Latin malevolentia ("malevolence"), derived from malevolēns ("malevolent").

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Examples

  • The equivalent of epichairekakia in Latin is malevolentia (like the English word 'malevolence'), according to blogger Michael Gilleland.

    About.com Ancient / Classical History 2010

  • All of their will and malevolence is bent on achieving this one thing.

    Ken Starr backs Sotomayor court bid 2009

  • One can also imagine, if one has a sufficiently robust belief in American malevolence, that the prisoners are in reality innocent victims subjected to torture.

    Eastern Europe 2009

  • Instead, it was a knowing, unpleasant thing, an expression of malevolence.

    The Lovers John Connolly 2009

  • There have been no films, however, about the Columbia murder, which is, quite frankly, bullshit, because whatever the 1944 killing of David Kammerer by Lucien Carr lacks in malevolence, it more than makes up for in sordidness and famous people.

    We've Got Spirit 2007

  • There have been no films, however, about the Columbia murder, which is, quite frankly, bullshit, because whatever the 1944 killing of David Kammerer by Lucien Carr lacks in malevolence, it more than makes up for in sordidness and famous people.

    October 2007 2007

  • Bracy, forewarned by his dream of a concealed serpent strangling a dove, suspects that some malevolence is afoot without tracing it immediately to Geraldine's presence.

    Mocking Stupendous Mechanisms: Romantic Parody and Frankenstein's Dream 2003

  • With a malevolence which is without parallel in history, he would work all day, and then sit up nights, and let on to be studying algebra by the light of a smoldering fire, so that all other boys might have to do that also, or else have Benjamin Franklin thrown up to them.

    Sketches New And Old Twain, Mark, 1835-1910 1922

  • I dwelled upon the idea fiercely; and presently slipped on, in a kind of malevolence, to consider how very poorly they were likely to fare when Davie Balfour was no longer by to be their milk-cow; at which, to my very own great surprise, the disposition of my mind turned bottom up.

    David Balfour, a sequel to Kidnapped. 1893

  • I dwelled upon the idea fiercely; and presently slipped on, in a kind of malevolence, to consider how very poorly they were likely to fare when Davie Balfour was no longer by to be their milk-cow; at which, to my very own great surprise, the disposition of my mind turned bottom up.

    Catriona Robert Louis Stevenson 1872

Comments

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  • The quality, state, or feeling of being malovent; it will; malice; hatred

    December 14, 2010