Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definitions: Malevolent |
MalevolentAdjective1. Wishing or appearing to wish evil to others; arising from intense ill will or hatred; "a gossipy malevolent old woman"; "failure made him malevolent toward those who were successful". 2. Extremely malevolent or malicious; "the malignant tongues of gossipers". 3. Having or exerting a malignant influence; "malevolent stars"; "a malefic force". Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "malevolent" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1258. (references) |
Etymology: Malevolent \Ma*lev"o*lent\, adjective. [Latin expression malevolens, -entis; male ill volens, present participle of velle to be willing or disposed, to wish. See Malice, and Voluntary.]. (Websters 1913) |
Synonyms: MalevolentSynonyms: evil (adj), malefic (adj), malicious (adj), malign (adj), malignant (adj). (additional references) |
| Antonym: benevolent (adj). (additional references) |
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Inexpedience | Oppressive, burdensome, onerous; malign; (malevolent). |
Malevolence | Verb: be malevolent; Adjective: bear spleen, harbor spleen, bear a grudge, harbor a grudge, bear malice; betray the cloven foot, show the cloven foot. |
Adjective: malevolent, unbenevolent; unbenign; ill-disposed, ill-intentioned, ill-natured, ill-conditioned, ill-contrived; evil-minded, evil-disposed; black-browed. | |
Vice | Evil-minded, evil-disposed; ill-conditioned; malevolent; heartless, graceless, shameless, virtueless; abandoned, lost to virtue; unconscionable; sunk in iniquity, lost in iniquity, steeped in iniquity. |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
Crosswords: Malevolent |
| English words defined with "malevolent": Chandi ♦ Devi, Durga ♦ Fairy of the mine, formless ♦ ill nature ♦ kali ♦ Mal-, malevolently, Malevolous, malice aforethought, malicious, Malicious prosecution, malignant ♦ poisonous, poisonously ♦ vengefulness, venomous, venomously, vicious, vindictiveness. (references) |
| Specialty definitions using "malevolent": Akuman ♦ Bioterrorism ♦ Climacteric Years ♦ Dictionary ♦ INADMISSIBLE, INTRODUCTION ♦ Paranoid Personality Disorder. (references) |
| Etymologies containing "malevolent": malevolence. (references) |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | Together with my stalwart sidekick Arthur and the magnanimous help of some other folks I know, we form the yin to villany's malevolent yang. (The Tick; writing credit: Larry Charles; Lon Diamond) | |
Movie/TV Titles | Malevolent (2002) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title | ||
Books |
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Music |
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Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Author | Quotation |
Confucius | He said: Honest men govern a country a hundred years, they could vanquish the malevolent and get rid of the death penalty. |
Otto Von Bismarck-schoenhausen | No one, not even the most malevolent democrat has any idea how much nullity and charlatanism there is in diplomacy. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | |
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Lexicography | Devil's Dictionary | DICTIONARY, n. A malevolent literary device for cramping the growth of a language and making it hard and inelastic. This dictionary, however, is a most useful work. |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| "Malevolent" is generally used as an adjective (general or positive) -- approximately 100.00% of the time. "Malevolent" is used about 151 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Adjective (general or positive) | 100% | 151 | 25,596 |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
| Hyphenated Usage | |
Beginning with "malevolent": malevolent-looking. | |
Ending with "malevolent": non-malevolent, oft-malevolent. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Expression | Frequency per Day |
malevolent creation | 75 |
malevolent | 18 |
creation lyrics malevolent | 4 |
malevolent nuzzler | 2 |
malevolent movie | 2 |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Language | Translations for "malevolent"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | |
Albanian | zemërlig (evil), keqdashës (carping, ill disposed, malicious, malign, malignant, spiteful), i lig (bad, basilisk, catty, despiteful, diabolic, diabolical, evil, evil-minded, felon, godless, iniquitous, malicious, malign, malignant, mean, nasty, nefarious, perverse, sinister, spiteful, vicious, wicked), i ashpër (argute, austere, biting, bluff, bluffy, Brant, bristly, brusque, churlish, coarse, crude, ding-dong, dour, draconian, draconic, gravelly, grim, gruff, hard, harsh, ill, ill natured, inclement, keen, pipy, raucous, rigid, rigorous, rough, rough and ready, rude, savage, scabrous, scathing, scratchy, severe, shaggy, slashing, smart, stern, strict, tough, truculent, uncharitable, unkind, unmerciful, violent, wiry). (various references) | |
Arabic | مضطغن, مؤذ (annoying, bad, baleful, damaging, deleterious, detrimental, harmful, hurtful, injurious, maleficent, malign, mischievous, nasty, nocuous, noisome, noxious, pernicious, poisonous, prejudicial, unwholesome, verminous, wicked), حاقد (scurrilous, spiteful, sullen, vengeful), ذو غل, خبيث (bad, black-hearted, dark, evil, evil-minded, malicious, malignant, pernicious, rake, roue, sly, vicious, viperous, virulent, vulpine, wicked, wily). (various references) | |
Bulgarian | отмъстителен (avengeful, revengeful, vengeful, vindictive), неприязнен, злобен (bitchy, blackhearted, catty, despiteful, dirty, envenomed, evil-minded, ill natured, maleficent, malicious, malignant, nasty, rancorous, sinister, spiteful, spleenful, squint eyed, venomous, vicious, virulent), зле настроен (ill disposed, malicious). (various references) | |
Chinese | 恶劣 (Baleful, Nastiness). (various references) | |
Czech | zlovolný (bloody minded, mischievous). (various references) | |
Farsi | نحس(درموردستاره بخت), بدنهاد (Malign), بدخواه (Malignant, Sinister). (various references) | |
Finnish | pahansuopa (ill-disposed), ilkeämielinen (evil-minded), häijynilkinen (malicious). (various references) | |
French | malveillant (malicious, malignant). (various references) | |
German | übelwollend (malign). (various references) | |
Greek | κακόβουλοσ (carping, malign, malinger), χαιρέκακοσ (malicious), εχθρικόσ (enemy, hostile, inimical, unfriendly). (various references) | |
Hebrew | מרושע (diabolic, evil, iniquitous, malicious, malign, malignant, nefarious, sinister, unholy, vicious, vile, villainous, wicked). (various references) | |
Hungarian | rosszindulatú (bad light, bitchy, censorious, despiteful, envious, evil-minded, hostile, ill disposed, malicious, malign, malignant, mischievous, rancorous, snide, spiteful), rosszakaratú (hostile, ill disposed, malignant, rancorous). (various references) | |
Italian | maligno (bad tempered, black-hearted, gloating, maleficent, malicious, malign, malignant, snide, spiteful, venomous), malevolo (acrimonious, malignant). (various references) | |
Japanese Kanji | マレイン酸 (chestnut, evil, malefic, maleic acid, malign, mallow, Marecs, marron Chantilly, marronier, marrons glaces). (various references) | |
Japanese Katakana | マレフィック (evil, malefic, malign). (various references) | |
Manx | myskidagh (implacable, malicious, rancorous, resentful, spiteful, vindictive), goanlyssagh (malicious, malignant, rancorous, revengeful, spiteful, spiteful person, vicious, vicious spiteful, vindictive). (various references) | |
Pig Latin | alevolentmay.(various references) | |
Portuguese | malevolência (malignancy, spite). (various references) | |
Romanian | rãuvoitor (evil-disposed, evil-minded, ill disposed, malign, mischievous, squint), pizmaş (covetous, envier, envious, hostile, malicious, spiteful, yellow), invidios (covetous, envious, enviously, grudging, jealous, malicious, yellow). (various references) | |
Russian | недоброжелательный (ill disposed, ill natured, ill-disposed, negative). (various references) | |
Serbo-Croatian | zloban (despiteful, invidious, maleficent, malicious, mean, meanspirited, ornery, rancorous, sardonic, vicious, viperous), zao (bad, evil, goblin, ill, ill disposed, malefic, maleficent, malicious, mean, nefarious, ornery, wicked), pakostan (ill, ill disposed, invidious, malicious, mean, meanspirited, spiteful, vicious). (various references) | |
Spanish | malévolo (bitchy, ill natured, malicious, malign, nasty, spiteful). (various references) | |
Swedish | illvillig (bloody minded, ill, ill disposed, malicious). (various references) | |
Turkish | kindar (grudging, revengeful, spiteful, vindictive), kötücül (cankered, malicious, malign, malignant, unholy, wicked), kötü niyetli (baleful, gloating, ill disposed, ill-affected, ill-intentioned, malicious, malignant, poisonous, sinister, wanton), art niyetli (evil-disposed, evil-minded, snide). (various references) | |
Turkmen | betpдl (plotting), betniet (plotting). (various references) | |
Ukranian | недоброзичливий (blackhearted, carping, cattish, cursed, envious, evil-minded, ill-affected, nasty), злорадний. (various references) | |
Vietnamese | xấu bụng, hiểm ác (diabolic, diabolical, maleficent), ác (evil, scathing, smashing, unkind). (various references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references. | ||
| Language | Period | Translations |
| Latin | 500 BCE-Modern | invido, invidus, malevolens, malivolam, malivolo, novercalis. (various references) |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
Derivations | |
Words beginning with "malevolent": malevolently. (additional references) | |
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"Malevolent" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: maelvolent, maevolent, malavolent, maldvolent, malelovent, malevelent, maleviolent, malevloent, malevolen, malevolens, malevonlent, malvolent, manevolent, melevolent, Millevoye, nalevolent. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "malevolent" (pronounced mule"vulunt) |
| 7 | -e" v u l u n t | benevolent, prevalent. |
| 6 | -v u l u n t | ambivalent, equivalent. |
| 5 | -u l u n t | excellent, flatulent, fraudulent, indolent, insolent, jubilant, nonviolent, opulent, petulant, somnolent, stimulant, succulent, truculent, turbulent, vigilant, violent, virulent. |
| 4 | -l u n t | assailant, coolant, divalent, esculent, gallant, inhalant, monovalent, propellant, repellent, sealant, silent, talent, tetravalent. |
| 3 | -u n t | abandonment, abatement, aberrant, abhorrent, abortifacient, absent, absorbent, abstinent, abundant, accelerant, accident, accompaniment, accomplishment, accountant, accouterment, achievement, acknowledgement, acknowledgment, adamant, adherent, adjacent, adjournment, adjustment, adjutant, adolescent, adornment, advancement, advertisement, advisement, afferent, affiant, affluent, agent, aggrandizement, agreement, ailment, alignment, allotment, amazement, ambient, amendment, amusement, ancient, announcement, annulment, antecedent, antidepressant, antigovernment, antioxidant, apartment, apparent, appeasement, applicant, appointment, apportionment, ardent, argent, argument, armament, arraignment, arrangement, arrant, arrogant, ascendant, aspirant, assessment, assignment, assistant, assortment, astonishment, astringent, atonement, attachment, attainment, attendant, banishment, basement, battlement, belligerent, bemusement, beneficent, bereavement, betterment, bewilderment, blandishment, blatant, bombardment, brilliant, buoyant, celebrant, claimant, clairvoyant, Clement, client, coefficient, cogent, cognizant, coherent, coincident, combatant, commandment, commencement, commitment, compartment, competent, complacent, complainant, complaisant, complement, compliant, component, comportment, concealment, concomitant, concurrent, condiment, confident, confinement, confluent, consequent, consignment, consistent, consonant, constant, constituent, consultant, containment, contaminant, contentment, contestant, continent, contingent, convalescent, convenient, convent, convergent, conversant, copayment, corespondent, cormorant, correspondent, Courant, covenant, Crescent, crosscurrent, current, curtailment, debarment, debasement, decadent, decedent, decent, declarant, decongestant, defendant, deferment, defiant, deficient, defoliant, delinquent, deodorant, department, dependent, deployment, deportment, depressant, derailment, descendant, descendent, despondent, detachment, detergent, determent, determinant, deterrent, detriment, development, deviant, different, diligent, diminishment, disagreement, disappointment, disarmament, disbarment, disbursement, discernment, discordant, discouragement, disenchantment, disenfranchisement, disengagement, disestablishment, disgruntlement, disillusionment, disinfectant, disinvestment, dismantlement, dismemberment, disobedient, dispersant, displacement, dissident, dissonant, distant, divergent, divestment, docent, dominant, dormant, easement, ebullient, efferent, effervescent, efficient, effluent, elegant, element, elephant, eloquent, embankment, embarrassment, embayment, embellishment, embezzlement, embodiment, emergent, emigrant, eminent, emplacement, employment, empowerment, enactment, encampment, enchantment, encirclement, encouragement, encroachment, endangerment, endearment, endorsement, endowment, enforcement, engagement, enhancement, enjoyment, enlargement, enlightenment, enlistment, enrichment, enrollment, enslavement, entanglement, entertainment, enticement, entitlement, entombment, entrant, entrapment, entrenchment, environment, equipment, errant, escapement, escarpment, establishment, estrangement, evanescent, evident, excitement, excrement, exigent, existent, exorbitant, expectant, expectorant, expedient, experiment, exponent, extant, extinguishment, extravagant, exuberant, exultant, Fabricant, fervent, figment, filament, flagrant, flamboyant, flippant, fluent, fluorescent, formant, fragment, fragrant, frequent, fulfillment, garment, garnishment, giant, government, grandiloquent, grandparent, harassment, hesitant, hydrant, ignorant, immanent, immigrant, imminent, impairment, impatient, impeachment, impediment, impertinent, implement, important, impotent, impoundment, impoverishment, impressment, imprisonment, improvement, imprudent, inadvertent, incandescent, incessant, incident, incipient, incitement, inclement, incoherent, incompetent, inconsistent, incontinent, inconvenient, increment, incumbent, indecent, independent, indictment, indifferent, indigent, indignant, inducement, indulgent, inefficient, infant, informant, infotainment, infrequent, infringement, ingredient, inhabitant, inherent, innocent, inpatient, insignificant, insistent, insolvent, installment, instant, instrument, insufficient, insurgent, integument, intelligent, intercurrent, interdependent, intermittent, internment, intersegment, intolerant, intransigent, invariant, investment, involvement, iridescent, irrelevant, irreverent, irritant, itinerant, judgement, judgment, latent, leant, lenient, lieutenant, ligament, litigant, lubricant, lucent, luminescent, luxuriant, magnificent, malignant, maltreatment, management, measurement, merchant, micromanagement, migrant, militant, miscreant, misgovernment, misjudgment, mismanagement, misstatement, mistreatment, moment, monument, mordant, movement, mutant, nascent, negligent, noncombatant, nonexistent, nongovernment, nonmanagement, nonpayment, nonresident, nourishment, nutrient, obedient, observant, obsolescent, occupant, odorant, ointment, omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, operant, opponent, ornament, orpiment, outpatient, outplacement, overconfident, overpayment, overstatement, oxidant, pageant, parchment, parent, parliament, participant, patent, patient, pavement, payment, peasant, penchant, pendant, penitent, pennant, percipient, permanent, persistent, pertinent, pheasant, pigment, piquant, placement, pleasant, pliant, poignant, pollutant, postponement, postretirement, potent, preadolescent, precedent, predicament, predominant, preeminent, pregnant, prejudgment, prepayment, prescient, present, presentment, procurement, proficient, prominent, pronouncement, proponent, protestant, provident, prudent, prurient, pungent, punishment, pursuant, puzzlement, quadrant, quiescent, quotient, radiant, rampant, readjustment, reagent, realignment, reappointment, reapportionment, rearmament, rearrangement, reassessment, reassignment, recalcitrant, recent, recipient, recombinant, recruitment, recurrent, redeployment, redevelopment, redundant, reemployment, reenactment, refinement, refreshment, refrigerant, refurbishment, Regent, regiment, registrant, reimbursement, reinforcement, reinstatement, reinvestment, relevant, reliant, reluctant, reminiscent, remnant, repayment, repentant, replacement, replenishment, repugnant, requirement, resentment, resettlement, resident, resilient, resistant, resonant, resplendent, respondent, restatement, resultant, resurgent, retardant, reticent, retirement, retrenchment, reverent, rodent, rudiment, ruminant, sacrament, salient, seafront, sediment, segment, semipermanent, sentiment, Sequent, sergeant, serpent, servant, settlement, shipment, significant, solvent, stagnant, statement, strident, stringent, student, subcontinent, subsequent, subservient, sufficient, supergiant, superintendent, supplement, supplicant, suppressant, surfactant, tangent, temperament, tenant, tenement, testament, tolerant, torrent, tournament, transcendent, transient, translucent, transparent, treatment, trenchant, trident, triumphant, truant, tumescent, tyrant, undercurrent, underdevelopment, underemployment, undergarment, underpayment, understatement, unemployment, unimportant, unpleasant, unrepentant, urgent, vacant, vagrant, valiant, variant, vehement, verdant, vibrant, warrant, wonderment. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "a-e-e-l-l-m-n-o-t-v" | |
-3 letters: lomenta, novella, novelle, omental, telamon, teleman, tollman, tollmen, velamen, volante. | |
-4 letters: elevon, enamel, etalon, lament, lateen, leaven, levant, loment, mallee, mallet, maltol, mantel, mantle, melton, mental, molten, oleate, omelet, omenta, telome, tolane, toneme, velate, volant. | |
-5 letters: allee, allot, alone, ament, amole, anele, anole, atoll, atone, eaten, elate, emote, enate, enema, event, laevo, laten, leant, leave, leman, lemon, lento, leone, level, llano, lovat, maven, meant, melon, menta, metal, molal, monte, motel, navel, notal, novae, novel, oaten, ovate, talon, telae, tolan, toman, tonal, valet, veena, venae, venal, venom, volta, volte. | |
| Words containing the letters "a-e-e-l-l-m-n-o-t-v" | |
+2 letters: malevolently. | |
+3 letters: developmental. | |
+4 letters: governmentally. | |
+5 letters: contemplatively, developmentally, environmentally. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
Hexadecimal (or equivalents, 770AD-1900s) (references)4D 61 6C 65 76 6F 6C 65 6E 74 |
| Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519; backwards) (references)
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| American Sign Language (origins from 1620-1817 in Italy and, especially, France) (references)
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| Semaphore (1791, in France) (references)
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| Braille (1829, in France) (references)
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Morse Code (1836) (references)-- .- .-.. . ...- --- .-.. . -. - |
| Dancing Men (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 1903) (references)
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Binary Code (1918-1938, probably earlier) (references)01001101 01100001 01101100 01100101 01110110 01101111 01101100 01100101 01101110 01110100 |
HTML Code (1990) (references)M a l e v o l e n t |
ISO 10646 (1991-1993) (references)004D 0061 006C 0065 0076 006F 006C 0065 006E 0074 |
| British Sign Language (Fingerspelling, BSL; 1992, British Deaf Association Dictionary of British Sign Language) (references)
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Encryption (beginner's substitution cypher): (references)47677871888178718086 |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Crosswords 4. Usage: Modern | 5. Usage: Commercial 6. Images: Slideshow 7. Quotations: Familiar 8. Quotations: Non-fiction | 9. Usage Frequency 10. Expressions 11. Expressions: Internet 12. Translations: Modern | 13. Translations: Ancient 14. Derivations 15. Rhymes 16. Anagrams | 17. Orthography 18. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
