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Definition of malcontent

malcontent

/ˈmæl.kənˌtɛnt/
mal · con · tent
Plural:malcontents
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malcontent Lexical Profile

malcontent Game Scores & Validity

• noun

1

A person who is chronically dissatisfied and rebellious, especially toward prevailing conditions or established authority; a troublemaker.

Example

"The administration dismissed the critics as a handful of vocal malcontents trying to disrupt the policy reform."

Synonyms
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Antonyms
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• adjective

1

Dissatisfied and rebellious; inclined to complain or resist authority.

Example

"A small faction of malcontent shareholders voted against the board's proposed merger."

Synonyms
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Antonyms
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• Nearby Words

malaysia
malaysian
malcolmia
malcontent
maldistributed
maldives
male

Word Origin & Etymology

Borrowed in the late 16th century from Middle French malcontent, formed from the adverb mal ('badly, ill') and content ('satisfied'), originally coming from Latin male and contentus.

Usage Trend

Historical frequency of usage in published text.

180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Malcontent. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/malcontent
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