Meaning & use
malevolent
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivecomparableformal
Wishing to cause pain or harm to other people, and showing it.
Grammar: Can go before a noun or after a linking verb: a malevolent stare; his intent was malevolent.
Patterns
- malevolent toward someone
- a malevolent look
The villain gave the hero a malevolent smile.
She felt a malevolent gaze following her down the street.
The old tale describes a malevolent spirit in the forest.
adjectivebefore a nounliteraryfigurative
Seeming to carry harmful or threatening influence, even if no person is behind it.
Grammar: Used of forces and atmospheres: a malevolent presence.
Patterns
- a malevolent force
- a malevolent atmosphere
A malevolent fog crept over the moor.
The abandoned house had a malevolent feel.
He spoke of a malevolent fate that followed him.
Word forms
| comparative | more malevolent |
|---|---|
| superlative | most malevolent |
Common combinations
- malevolent intent
- The email showed no sign of malevolent intent.
- malevolent glare
- He fixed her with a malevolent glare.
- malevolent force
- The film's villain is a malevolent force.
- malevolent spirit
- The legend tells of a malevolent spirit.
- malevolent smile
- A malevolent smile crossed his face.
Synonyms and how they differ
- malicious
- Malicious suggests a spiteful wish to hurt, often in small, petty ways, while malevolent is deeper and more sinister.
- spiteful
- Spiteful is more everyday and describes petty ill will, usually from personal grudges.
- sinister
- Sinister describes something that seems evil or threatening, even if no one's intentions are known.
- hostile
- Hostile means unfriendly or opposed, but it does not always include a wish to cause harm.
Opposites
Word family
- malevolence noun
- the desire to do harm
- malevolently adverb
- in a harmful or hateful way
- benevolent adjective
- kind and wishing to do good
- malice noun
- a wish to hurt someone
Commonly confused: malevolent or malevolent? malevolent or benevolent?
malevolent vs malevolent
Learners sometimes mix it with malignant, which is used for harmful diseases, while malevolent describes harmful intent.
malevolent vs benevolent
Benevolent is the opposite: it describes a wish to do good.
Practice
Which person is best described as malevolent?
Choose one answer.
Malevolent means wanting to cause harm, which fits the neighbor. Strictness, forgetfulness and lateness do not involve a wish to hurt anyone.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “malevolent”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.