as in malicious
having or showing a desire to cause someone pain or suffering for the sheer enjoyment of it
the novel grossly oversimplified the conflict as a struggle between relentlessly malevolent villains on one side and faultless saints on the other
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Recent Examples of malevolent
The Dead Zone maintains key big-picture threads from the book and movie — the malevolent rising-star politician, the apocalyptic portent — while taking advantage of its format, succeeding as both a procedural and a long-term story.
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Chris Snellgrove, EW.com, 22 Dec. 2024
Imagine that kind of malevolent connection operating in the Senate.
—Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, Orlando Sentinel, 20 Dec. 2024
Greece also has its own folkloric malevolent Christmas creatures—the Kallikantzaroi—who, according to Greek News Agenda, are said to dwell underground all year round, surfacing only during the 12 days of Christmas (Dec. 25 through Jan. 6) to bring trouble to mortals.
—Chad De Guzman, TIME, 18 Dec. 2024
The question is woven through the story of two Mormon missionaries (Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East, both excellent) who answer the call of a man (Hugh Grant, wonderfully leaning into his malevolent side) who decides to challenge them on all of their beliefs.
—Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 17 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for malevolent 
Chris Snellgrove, EW.com, 22 Dec. 2024
Imagine that kind of malevolent connection operating in the Senate.
—Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, Orlando Sentinel, 20 Dec. 2024
Greece also has its own folkloric malevolent Christmas creatures—the Kallikantzaroi—who, according to Greek News Agenda, are said to dwell underground all year round, surfacing only during the 12 days of Christmas (Dec. 25 through Jan. 6) to bring trouble to mortals.
—Chad De Guzman, TIME, 18 Dec. 2024
The question is woven through the story of two Mormon missionaries (Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East, both excellent) who answer the call of a man (Hugh Grant, wonderfully leaning into his malevolent side) who decides to challenge them on all of their beliefs.
—Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 17 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for malevolent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for malevolent
Adjective
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While conceding that standard phishing methods, those that typically require threat actors to craft malicious emails that are delivered to a wide audience, are relatively easy for email platforms to detect and block, that’s not the case with this phishless attack.Davey Winder, Forbes, 11 Jan. 2025
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Alec Baldwin sues New Mexico, claiming malicious prosecution.Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 10 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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That’s when Evans, in a full sprint, blindsided Lattimore with a vicious hit in the back and knocked him to the ground.Rick Stroud, Orlando Sentinel, 10 Jan. 2025
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Several fast-growing wildfires fueled by a vicious Southern California wind storm are devastating communities across the Los Angeles region, with homes being burned to the ground and tens of thousands of people evacuating to safety.Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY, 10 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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And having more thoughtful conversations doesn’t preclude the need sometimes to confront those who are needlessly cruel or organizations that benefit from such exploitation.Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 18 Jan. 2025
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In recent months, the Justice Department and the state filed thousands of pages of new records in the lawsuit, including reports and sworn statements from pediatricians, scholars and others who describe Florida’s policies as archaic and cruel.Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, 17 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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There’s no legal argument to be made against this turn away from fact-checking and towards a more freewheeling, more disinformation-laden, more confusing, more hateful and less illuminating approach.New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 13 Jan. 2025
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With Zuckerberg’s decision to rescind policies barring hateful speech, he’s made clear that distinction is worth the possibility of political clout come Inauguration Day.Makena Kelly, WIRED, 9 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near malevolent
Cite this Entry
“Malevolent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/malevolent. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.
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