malignant
malignant Lexical Profile
malignant Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
(Of a tumor or disease) tending to invade normal tissue, metastasize, or recur after removal; cancerous and potentially fatal.
"Early screening allowed the oncologist to detect and remove the malignant cells before they could spread."
Disposed to cause harm, suffering, or distress deliberately; feeling or showing intense ill will or hatred.
"The investigation uncovered a malignant campaign of disinformation aimed at undermining public trust."
Word Nuance & Usage
In medical contexts, 'malignant' is the direct opposite of 'benign' and specifically describes cancerous tumors capable of invading surrounding tissues. In general usage, it is closely related to 'malign' (which is more common as a verb meaning to slander, though also used as an adjective meaning harmful).
• Rhymes for malignant
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the 16th century from Late Latin 'malignans', the present participle of 'malignare' (to act maliciously), derived from 'malignus' (ill-disposed, literally 'born badly'), combining 'malus' (bad) and the root of 'gignere' (to beget).
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.