Synonyms of malevolent
61 similar words · 1 opposite word
Another word for malevolent is evil. Other synonyms of malevolent are abandoned, wicked, black-hearted, malicious and malignant. The opposite of malevolent is benevolent.
Synonyms and similar words for malevolent
adjectiveHaving or displaying ill will; wishing harm on others.
- maleficentHarmful or evil in intent or effect.
- sinisterEvil or seemingly evil; indicating lurking danger or harm.
- abandonedHaving given oneself up to vice; immoral; extremely wicked, or sinning without restraint; irreclaimably wicked.
- badEvil; wicked.
- bad appleA person who is not wholesome, honest, or trustworthy, especially one who has an adverse influence on others.
- bad seed
- baleful
- scurrilous
- baneful
- baseMorally reprehensible, immoral; cowardly.
- black-heartedHaving a wicked, malignant disposition; morally bad.
- darkWithout moral or spiritual light; sinister, malevolent, malign.
- deleterious
- demonicExtremely cruel or evil; abhorrent or repugnant; diabolical.
- depraved
- despicableFit or deserving to be despised; contemptible; mean.
- detrimentalCausing damage or harm.
- devilishEvil, wicked.
- diabolicalExtremely wicked or cruel.
- evilIntending to harm; malevolent.
- evil-mindedHaving evil thoughts or intentions.
- flagitious literary
- harmfulCausing or likely to cause harm or damage; injurious.
- heinous
- ill-intentionedHaving bad intentions; malevolent.
- ill-naturedSynonym of malevolent: wishing bad upon others.
- immoralBreaching principles of natural law, rectitude, or justice, and so inconsistent with the demands of virtue, purity, or...
- incorrigible
- iniquitousMorally objectionable; sinful, wicked.
- injurious
- knavishHaving the characteristics of a knave; mischievous, roguish, waggish, rascally or impertinent.
- maleficHaving an evil or harmful influence; baleful.
- maliciousIntending to do harm; characterized by spite and malice.
- malignMalevolent.
- malignantHarmful, malevolent, injurious.
- nefariousSinful, villainous, criminal, or wicked, especially when noteworthy or notorious for such characteristics.
- no-goodHaving no value, use or merit.
- peccaminousSinful.
- pernicious
- reprehensible
- reprobate
- satanicEvil, fiendish, devilish or diabolical.
- scathful
- sinfulConstituting a sin; morally or religiously wrong; wicked; evil.
- sordid
- ungodlyImmoral, sinful, or wicked.
- unholy
- vicious
- vile
- villainous
- wickedEvil or mischievous by nature; morally reprehensible.
- wrong
- arrant datedVery bad; despicable.
- facinorous archaicExtremely wicked.
- iniquous obsoleteSynonym of iniquitous.
- naughty archaic, rareEvil, wicked, morally reprehensible.
- niddering archaicSynonym of nithing (“cowardly, dastardly; notoriously evil or wicked; infamous”).
- nidering archaic
- niding archaic
- nithing archaicNotoriously evil or wicked; infamous.
- sullen obsoleteMischievous; malignant; unpropitious.
Opposite of malevolent
adjectiveHaving or displaying ill will; wishing harm on others.
Meaning of malevolent
- adjective Having or displaying ill will; wishing harm on others.
- adjective Having an evil or harmful influence.
malevolent in other languages
Questions about synonyms of malevolent
- What is another word for malevolent?
- Malevolent has 61 synonyms on Word.ws, such as evil, abandoned, wicked, black-hearted, malicious, malignant, satanic and sinister.
- What is the opposite of malevolent?
- The opposite of malevolent is benevolent.
- What does malevolent mean?
- Malevolent means having or displaying ill will; wishing harm on others.
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: malevolent (page history and authors) and the entries of the words listed. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws grouped the synonyms and antonyms by meaning and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Cite this page: “Synonyms of malevolent.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/synonyms/malevolent. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.