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View synonyms for malignant

malignant

[ muh-lig-nuhnt ]

adjective

  1. disposed to cause harm, suffering, or distress deliberately; feeling or showing ill will or hatred.

    Synonyms: malevolent, spiteful

    Antonyms: benign

  2. very dangerous or harmful in influence or effect.

    Synonyms: pernicious, hurtful, perilous

    Antonyms: benign

  3. Pathology.
    1. tending to produce death, as bubonic plague.
    2. (of a tumor) characterized by uncontrolled growth; cancerous, invasive, or metastatic.

    Antonyms: benign



malignant

/ məˈlɪɡnənt /

adjective

  1. having or showing desire to harm others
  2. tending to cause great harm; injurious
  3. pathol (of a tumour) uncontrollable or resistant to therapy; rapidly spreading


noun

  1. history (in the English Civil War) a Parliamentarian term for a royalist

malignant

/ mə-lĭgnənt /

  1. Tending to have a destructive clinical course, as a malignant illness.
  2. Relating to cancer cells that are invasive and tend to metastasize. Malignant tumor cells are histologically more primitive than normal tissue.
  3. Compare benign


malignant

  1. A descriptive term for things or conditions that threaten life or well-being. Malignant is the opposite of benign .


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Notes

The term is often used in a general way to denote something that is both destructive and fast growing: “The malignant growth of the suburbs is destroying the landscape.”
The term malignant is used in describing cancerous tumors ( see cancer ) because such growths are a threat to the health of the individual.

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Derived Forms

  • maˈlignantly, adverb

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Other Words From

  • ma·lignant·ly adverb
  • nonma·lignant adjective
  • nonma·lignant·ly adverb
  • semi·ma·lignant adjective
  • semi·ma·lignant·ly adverb
  • unma·lignant adjective
  • unma·lignant·ly adverb

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Word History and Origins

Origin of malignant1

First recorded in 1535–45; from Late Latin malignant-, stem of malignāns, present participle of malignāre “to act maliciously”; malign, -ant

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Word History and Origins

Origin of malignant1

C16: from Late Latin malīgnāre to behave spitefully, from Latin malīgnus malign

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Example Sentences

And if trickle-down could start on a dinner napkin, surely the process of reversing its malignant effects can start with a book.

Immigration showcases the other malignant GOP tumor: The rage of the base.

Doctors have called these changes, pre-cancer or pre-malignant.

Democracy works this way: it has non-violent means of purging malignant elements.

Might either of the two bring up the malignant problems experienced by the Eurozone?

But in a malignant war there is injustice of ignobler kind at once to God and man, which must be stemmed for both their sakes.

Here the proud state that claimed him as her own offspring, met him with the injustice of a malignant step-dame.

Mrs. Haight regarded the radiant young hostess with a malignant stare, prudently veiled by drooping lids.

They were framed with malignant ingenuity, so as to leave no chance of escape save in open apostasy.

Harry gave a disturbed, wondering look round, on seeing Edward's air of malignant satisfaction.

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malignancymaligned