malevolent
/məˈlɛv(ə)l(ə)nt
/adjective
Having or showing a wish to do evil to others: the glint of dark, malevolent eyes...
- She had become this all pervading, evil and malevolent influence on my family and life.
- That evil is malevolent violence, a curse that is the bane of our human existence.
- Even more than the words in the previous paragraph, it suggests an evil, malevolent intelligence at work.
Synonyms
malicious, spiteful, hostile, evil-minded, baleful, bitter, evil-intentioned, poisonous, venomous, evil, malign, malignant, rancorous, vicious, vindictive, revengeful, vengeful, pernicious;
cruel, fierce, nasty, unfriendly, unkind, ill-natured
literary malefic, maleficent
Derivatives
malevolently
/ adverb ...- Whether malevolently or unwittingly, many leases include improper sections into their leases that are not in accordance with the law.
- He limped up and down the boards, eyeing the audience malevolently past a particularly ugly prosthetic nose.
- His solo is rich, maximal and far from introverted; he sounds almost malevolently focused.
Origin
Early 16th century: from Latin malevolent- 'wishing evil', from male 'ill' + volent- 'wishing' (from the verb velle).
Rhymes
- respectabilise
- respectability
- respectabilize
- respectable
- respectableness
- respectably
- respectant
- respecter
- respectful
- respectfully
- respectfulness
- respecting
- respection
- respective
- respectively
- respectiveness
- respectless
- respell
- respew
- resphere
- Respighi, Ottorino
- respin
- respirability
- respirable
- respirant