French word

malignité

Pronunciation

IPA/maliɲite/

Meaning

  • feminine nounmalice

Example

Je n'ai jamais senti de malignité dans ses paroles.

I never detected any malice in what they said.

Illustration for malignité (malice)

More examples

Il y avait une malignité dans ses propos.

There was malice in his words.

Core concept

A shadow of hostile intent that can color speech or behavior without being openly declared.

Similar words

méchanceté: A tendency to treat people in a deliberately unkind way.

Definition in French

Désigne la malveillance ou l'hostilité — l'intention de nuire, qu'elle soit exprimée directement ou demeurée latente.

Word origin

French malignité inherited the Latin noun malignitas through the family of malignus, a word for something harmful or ill-natured.

Usage tips

  • In Je n'ai jamais senti de malignité, negation changes the usual partitive or indefinite article to de before the noun.

Other meanings

  • malignancynoun

Opposites

Related words

  • malignemaliciousadjective
  • malignementmaliciouslyadverb

Word lists with this word