Meanings
plural malevolences
- countableuncountableHostile attitude or feeling.
to show someone malevolence
2 more examples
He said it with malevolence.
Esai Morales appears as the enforcer for “the entity‘’ and brings such simmering malevolence to the character that he should have been the villain instead.
2023 July 5, Murtada Elfadl, “Mission: Impossible—Dead Reckoning Part One review: Tom Cruise runs, jumps, and delivers again”, in AV Club - countableuncountableBehavior exhibiting a hostile attitude.
Synonyms & antonyms
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinmalevolentia“malevolence”
- Middle Frenchmalevolence
- Englishmalevolence
From Middle French malevolence, from Latin malevolentia (“malevolence”), derived from malevolēns (“malevolent”).
More words from Middle French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek κᾰκοθῡμίᾱ
- κᾰκοθῡμίᾱ (kăkothūmíā)hostile attitude or feeling
Bulgarian злоба, неприязън
- злоба (zloba)hostile attitude or feeling
- неприязън (neprijazăn)hostile attitude or feeling
Catalan malevolència
- malevolènciahostile attitude or feeling
Chinese Mandarin 敵意 /敌意, 反感
- 敵意 /敌意 (díyì)hostile attitude or feeling
- 反感 (fǎngǎn)hostile attitude or feeling
- 惡意 /恶意 (èyì)hostile attitude or feeling
- 敵對行為 /敌对行为 (díduì xíngwéi)behavior exhibiting a hostile attitude
- 敵意行為 /敌意行为 (díyì xíngwéi)behavior exhibiting a hostile attitude
- 對抗行為 /对抗行为 (duìkàng xíngwéi)behavior exhibiting a hostile attitude
Dutch kwaadwil, vijandigheid
- kwaadwilhostile attitude or feeling
- vijandigheidhostile attitude or feeling
- moedwilhostile attitude or feeling
- misgunsthostile attitude or feeling
- malevolentiehostile attitude or feeling
Finnish pahantahtoisuus, pahantahtoisuus
- pahantahtoisuushostile attitude or feeling
- pahantahtoisuusbehavior exhibiting a hostile attitude
French malveillance, hostilité
- malveillancehostile attitude or feeling
- hostilitéhostile attitude or feeling
German Böswilligkeit, Missgunst
- Böswilligkeithostile attitude or feeling
- Missgunsthostile attitude or feeling
Greek εμπάθεια, κακοβουλία
- εμπάθεια (empátheia)hostile attitude or feeling
- κακοβουλία (kakovoulía)hostile attitude or feeling
- μοχθηρία (mochthiría)hostile attitude or feeling
Italian malevolenza
- malevolenzahostile attitude or feeling
Latin malevolentia
- malevolentiahostile attitude or feeling
Polish wrogość, złowrogość
- wrogośćhostile attitude or feeling
- złowrogośćhostile attitude or feeling
Portuguese malevolência
- malevolênciahostile attitude or feeling
Romanian rea-voință, ostilitate
- rea-voințăhostile attitude or feeling
- ostilitatehostile attitude or feeling
- pizmăhostile attitude or feeling
Russian злопыха́тельство, недоброжела́тельность
- злопыха́тельство (zlopyxátelʹstvo)hostile attitude or feeling
- недоброжела́тельность (nedobroželátelʹnostʹ)hostile attitude or feeling
- вражде́бность (vraždébnostʹ)hostile attitude or feeling
Spanish malevolencia
- malevolenciahostile attitude or feeling
Welsh malais
- malaishostile attitude or feeling
Cite this entry
malevolence. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/malevolence
“malevolence.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/malevolence. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “malevolence,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/malevolence.
Source: malevolence on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.