Syn. -- Malice; malevolence; malignity. See Malice.
Ma*lig"nant (?), a. [L. malignans, -antis, p. pr. of malignare,
malignari, to do or make maliciously. See Malign, and cf. Benignant.]
1. Disposed to do harm, inflict suffering, or cause distress; actuated
by extreme malevolence or enmity; virulently inimical; bent on evil;
malicious.
A malignant and a turbaned Turk.
Shak.
2. Characterized or caused by evil intentions; pernicious. "Malignant
care." Macaulay.
Some malignant power upon my life.
Shak.
Something deleterious and malignant as his touch.
Hawthorne.
3. (Med.) Tending to produce death; threatening a fatal issue;
virulent; as, malignant diphtheria.
Malignant pustule (Med.), a very contagious disease, transmitted to man
from animals, characterized by the formation, at the point of reception
of the virus, of a vesicle or pustule which first enlarges and then
breaks down into an unhealthy ulcer. It is marked by profound
exhaustion and usually fatal. Called also charbon, and sometimes,
improperly, anthrax.
Ma*lig"nant (?), n. 1. A man of extreme enmity or evil intentions.
Hooker.
2. (Eng. Hist.) One of the adherents of Charles I. or Charles II.; --
so called by the opposite party.
Ma*lig"nant*ly, adv. In a malignant manner.
Ma*lign"er (?), n. One who maligns.
Ma*lig"ni*fy (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Malignified (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Malignifying (?).] [L. malignus malign + -fy.] To make malign or
malignant. [R.] "A strong faith malignified." Southey.
Ma*lig"ni*ty (?), n. [F. malignité, L. malignitas.] 1. The state or
quality of being malignant; disposition to do evil; virulent enmity;
malignancy; malice; spite.