malevolence
Malevolence is when someone or something has bad intentions and wants to harm others. It's like having evil thoughts and actions towards people.
When we talk about malevolence, it usually means someone is being mean on purpose, either with words or actions. For example, if a politician is spreading lies and hate speech to get votes, that's an example of malevolence. Or maybe you've seen some dark movies where the villain has a lot of malice towards the hero – that's also showing malevolence. The word can be used in fiction or non-fiction to describe someone who enjoys causing trouble for others.
How common is "malevolence"?
Word malevolence is considered rare in modern English.
It appears most frequently in fiction texts and less often in other writings.
It appears most frequently in fiction texts and less often in other writings.
Definitions
noun
the quality of threatening evil
malevolencymalice
noun
wishing evil to others
malignity
Real examples of "malevolence" in context
