n. 1. The quality or state of being malevolent. 2. Malevolent behavior. [Middle English, from Old French malivolence, from Latin malevolentia, from malevolēns, malevolent-, malevolent : male, badly; see mel-3 in the Appendix of Indo-European roots + volēns, present participle of velle, to want; see wel-1 in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.