mindmap root((MAL)) malevolent Having or showing intense ill will or hatred.
🌱Captain Ahab sees Moby Dick not simply as a whale but as a powerfully malevolent foe. 🌳Malevolence runs deep. Malevolent enemies have bitter and lasting feelings of ill will. Malevolent racism and bigotry can erupt in acts of violence against innocent people. Malevolence can also show itself in hurtful words, and can sometimes be seen in something as small as an angry look or gesture. malicious Desiring to cause pain, injury, or distress to another.
🌱The boys didn't take the apples with any malicious intent; they were just hungry and didn't know any better. 🌳Malicious and malevolent are close in meaning, since both refer to ill will that desires to see someone else suffer. But while malevolent suggests deep and lasting dislike, malicious usually means petty and spiteful. Malicious gossipers are often simply envious of a neighbor's good fortune. Vandals may take malicious pleasure in destroying and defacing property but usually don't truly hate the owners. Malice is an important legal concept, which has to be proved in order to convict someone of certain crimes such as first-degree murder. malign To make harsh and often false or misleading statements about.
🌱Captain Bligh of the Bounty may be one of the most unjustly maligned figures in British naval history. 🌳Malign is related to verbs like defame, slander, and libel.The person or group being maligned is the victim of false or misleading statements, even if the maligner isn't necessarily guilty of deliberate lying. Someone or something that's frequently criticized is often said to be "much maligned," which suggests that the criticism isn't entirely fair or deserved. Malign is also an adjective, and writers often refer to a person's malign influence. The very similar malignant, which used to be a common synonym of malign, today tends to describe dangerous medical conditions, especially cancerous tumors. malnourished Badly or poorly nourished.
🌱When they finally found the children in the locked cabin, they were pale and malnourished but unharmed. 🌳Malnourished people can be found in all types of societies. Famine and poverty are only two of the common causes of malnutrition.In wealthier societies, malnutrition is often the result of poor eating habits. Any diet that fails to provide the nutrients needed for health and growth can lead to malnutrition, and some malnourished people are actually fat.