What does malignance mean?
Malignance means the quality of being malign, especially actively hostile, spiteful, or determined to cause harm. It may describe a personal disposition, as in a speech marked by personal malignance, or a wider atmosphere, such as the malignance of a political culture. The word is formal and more often encountered in literary, historical, or analytical writing than in casual conversation. It is closely related in meaning to malignity, malice, and ill will, but it often carries a stronger implication of deliberate hostility rather than mere negativity or resentment. Malignance is also easily confused with malignancy, which can refer to an actual cancerous or otherwise harmful growth. Knowing the distinction helps readers recognize that malignance generally names an attitude or quality, while malignancy can name a condition or thing.
nounThe quality or condition of being malign: deliberately harmful, malevolent, or hostile. It can also refer to a spirit or attitude marked by spite and active hostility toward others.
- The quality of being deliberately harmful, malevolent, or hostile.
- A spirit or attitude characterized by spite and animosity toward others.
"She refused to let years of personal malignance poison the discussion."
"The candidate's malignance toward former colleagues was evident in her dismissive remarks."
"Ancient rivalries can acquire a malignance that has little to do with their original cause."
The plural is grammatically possible but rarely needed in ordinary usage.
"The correspondence revealed several malignances that had previously been concealed."
Malignance comes from Latin malignus, literally “evil in nature”: the word began by describing character before it came to describe a hostile attitude.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of malignance
Malignance derives through Old French from Latin malignus, an adjective meaning “evil in nature” or “malicious.” The Latin word was formed from malus, “bad,” together with the suffix -ignus, giving it the sense of badness that is inherent in character. English later developed the related forms maligner, malignant, and malignancy, preserving the shared idea of harmful or hostile disposition.
Related word forms
How malignance is actually used
Malignance is formal and relatively uncommon. It is more suggestive of a settled attitude of hostility than the milder word annoyance, while the more familiar noun malignity is also used in medical contexts.
Easily confused with malignance
Malignance is usually a quality or attitude of hostility, whereas malignancy can also name a harmful growth or a condition that tends to spread.
As a verb, malign means to speak disparagingly about someone, while the noun malignance denotes spiteful or malevolent feeling.