malevolent
pronunciation
How to pronounce malevolent in British English:
UK [məˈlevələnt]
How to pronounce malevolent in American English:
US [məˈlevələnt]
-
- Adjective:
- wishing or appearing to wish evil to others; arising from intense ill will or hatred
- extremely malevolent or malicious
- having or exerting a malignant influence
Word Origin
- malevolent (adj.)
- c. 1500, from Middle French malivolent and directly from Latin malevolentem (nominative malevolens) "ill-disposed, spiteful, envious," from male "badly" (see mal-) + volentem (nominative volens), present participle of velle "to wish" (see will (v.)). Related: Malevolently.
Example
- 1. Lack of legitimacy is reinforced by their image as agents of malevolent western policy .
- 2. In the eyes of media executives , the internet is a malevolent vacuum-cleaner , sucking in one business after another .
- 3. But there is a growing trend of pastors in new revivalist christian churches , both in africa and britain , preaching a different , malevolent kind of kindoki .
- 4. But be wary for the most basic tenets of rationalism openness and freedom that nourish you now and seem so unassailable are about to be harried and besieged by malevolent mad and medieval minds .
- 5. There are plenty of people in washington who dismiss such a prospect as the malevolent thinking of woolly-headed europeans ; the more so , perhaps , when france 's nicolas sarkozy keeps trumpeting it .