What does malison mean?
Malison means hatred or bitter ill will, particularly the hostile feeling that develops between people, families, or groups after a long period of conflict. It is a formal and literary word, distinguished from ordinary anger by its implication of deep, persistent animosity. The noun is comparatively rare today, but it remains effective in historical, literary, and elevated prose. Malison often appears in descriptions of feuds, family disputes, or relations damaged by betrayal and prolonged enmity. Unlike a temporary feeling of irritation, it suggests a settled hostility between the people concerned. The word also has a distant connection with curses and denunciations through its Latin ancestry, although its established modern sense concerns hatred rather than a spoken curse. Its unusual vocabulary and formal tone make it especially useful when a writer wants to evoke longstanding resentment or feud.
nounHatred or bitter ill will, especially between people or families whose relationship has become hostile.
- Hatred, enmity, or bitter ill will, especially between individuals or families.
"Years of betrayal had left a lasting malison between the brothers."
"The treaty was intended to end a century of mistrust and malison between the rival clans."
"She spoke with such malison that no one doubted the depth of her anger."
The plural is grammatically regular but rarely needed because the word itself is uncommon.
"Ancient grudges and malisons divided the families for generations."
Malison ultimately rests on the Latin idea of speaking evil: its root literally means to say something bad about another person.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does malison come from?
Malison entered Middle English from an Old French word meaning hatred, with roots in Latin maledictio, a word associated with speaking evil and ultimately with a curse. The modern English sense developed toward the idea of ill will or hatred between people. Its Latin relatives include malediction, maledictory, and maledictive, all associated with denouncing or invoking evil against someone.
How malison is actually used
This is a formal, literary, and relatively uncommon word. It conveys deep or enduring hostility and is more dramatic than the everyday word "hatred."
Easily confused with malison
A malison means sustained hatred or ill will, whereas a malediction is a spoken curse or denunciation.