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

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.

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.

Other Word Forms

• malignantly adverb
• nonmalignant adjective
• nonmalignantly adverb
• semimalignant adjective
• semimalignantly adverb
• unmalignant adjective
• unmalignantly adverb

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of malignant¹

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

Example Sentences

And when doctors like Dr Baksheiev do get into those areas to perform examinations, they are finding a higher than average incidence of malignant tumours.

From BBC

Owain James was 34 when he was told three years ago he had a malignant, stage four tumour in his brain.

From BBC

But mass protest can succeed at proving the fallaciousness of this proposition — that Americans will not bow down, be silenced or broken by this malignant regime that despises democracy.

From Salon

Doctors suspected a tumour, but Ander says he and Paloma, "one of the smartest people I've ever met", were hopeful at first that it would turn out not to be malignant.

From BBC

It's what earns his narcissism the modifier "malignant."

From Salon

Related Words

• cancerous www.thesaurus.com
• deadly 
• destructive 
• fatal 
• lethal 
• mortal 

When To Use

What’s the difference between malignant and benign?

In a medical context, the word malignant is used to describe harmful masses or tumors that are cancerous and that grow and spread disease. The word benign is the opposite—it’s used to describe masses or tumors that are not cancerous (those that do not spread disease to other parts of the body).Both words are sometimes also used in general ways. Malignant can mean harmful or intended or intending to cause harm, while benign can mean kind, favorable, or gracious.The best clue to help remember their meanings is the prefix mal-, which means “bad” and shows up in a lot of other negative words, such as malfunction, malpractice, malicious, and maleficent.Here’s an example of malignant and benign used correctly in the same sentence.Example: She was afraid the lump was a malignant tumor, but it turned out to be a benign cyst—totally harmless.Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between malignant and benign.