as in malice
the desire to cause pain for the satisfaction of doing harm
the reviewer was criticized not for his negative review of the singer's album but for the malignance with which he expressed his disapproval of her lavish lifestyle
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Recent Examples of malignance
This is a movement that many progressives view as promising to reinvigorate hearts and minds, but that others warn may deliver different doses of theological malignance.
—
Audrey Clare Farley, The New Republic, 3 Jan. 2022
Where purity culture twists normal desires into malignance?
—Washington Post, 19 Mar. 2021
By definition Mishler’s content attracts people seeking refuge, but the exceptional malignance of 2020 has colored both her videos and the attitude of her fan base.
—New York Times, 25 Nov. 2020
Consequently, the growth disruption itself has exacerbated the cultural and economic malignance that helped create the underperforming trend in the first place.
—David L. Bahnsen, National Review, 13 Feb. 2018
Audrey Clare Farley, The New Republic, 3 Jan. 2022
Where purity culture twists normal desires into malignance?
—Washington Post, 19 Mar. 2021
By definition Mishler’s content attracts people seeking refuge, but the exceptional malignance of 2020 has colored both her videos and the attitude of her fan base.
—New York Times, 25 Nov. 2020
Consequently, the growth disruption itself has exacerbated the cultural and economic malignance that helped create the underperforming trend in the first place.
—David L. Bahnsen, National Review, 13 Feb. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for malignance
Noun
-
Developing skepticism means questioning information sources and intentions without assuming malice.—
Omaid Homayun,
Forbes.com,
31 Mar. 2025
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The page, which remained available at the time this post went live on Ars, has no reports of malice on Virus Total.—
Dan Goodin,
Ars Technica,
12 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Chung also used a powerful MRI scanner to produce images of the octopuses’ brains and internal organs, discovering that the males had larger venom glands than females despite their smaller size.—
Jack Guy,
CNN,
13 Mar. 2025
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To take one example, biologists studying the venom of a Gila monster found a hormone that is the basis of the new generation of weight-loss drugs like Wegovy and Ozempic.—
Simon Montlake,
The Christian Science Monitor,
12 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Officers added at the time that she'd been arrested and charged with assault in the first degree, kidnapping in the second degree, unlawful restraint in the first degree, cruelty to persons and reckless endangerment in the first degree.—
Becca Longmire,
People.com,
2 Apr. 2025
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Sullivan was arrested on March 12 and charged with first-degree assault, second-degree kidnapping, first-degree unlawful restraint, cruelty to persons and first-degree reckless endangerment.—
Peter D'Abrosca,
FOXNews.com,
2 Apr. 2025
Noun
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That ecstatic communal experience is a glorious moment of freedom for oppressed people, most of them living hand-to-mouth in an environment of hatred and exploitation.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Apr. 2025
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In fact, her personal hatred of gripping challenges even served as her Survivor hot take below.—
Dalton Ross,
EW.com,
10 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Liquid biopsies must detect cancer early, differentiate between malignancies and avoid the pitfalls of false positives and negatives.—
Mariya Filipova,
Forbes,
3 Mar. 2025
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Just as with labels on cigarettes, America's top doctor is calling for cancer risk warnings on alcohol after a report cites studies linking alcoholic beverages to more than a half-dozen malignancies, including breast cancer.—
Natalie Neysa Alund,
USA TODAY,
3 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Malignance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/malignance. Accessed 15 Apr. 2025.
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