How to Use malevolence in a Sentence

malevolence

noun
  • Ayosa wants to go and do, but tragedy and other people’s malevolence stalk her.
    Nanjala Nyabola, Vogue, 26 Apr. 2022
  • Some of my other favorites have been the Malevolence and its ion weapon, the darksaber and the commando droids.
    Jason B. Jones, WIRED, 16 Apr. 2010
  • Behind his long absences is a tragedy that, for the actor but not his wife, is tinged with malevolence.
    Yvonne Zipp, The Christian Science Monitor, 30 May 2017
  • Much has been written about Smith’s malevolence, but little of it is here.
    Washington Post, 16 July 2021
  • As with most forms of human malevolence, there is nothing new under the sun.
    Laura Hudson, The Verge, 10 Aug. 2018
  • Indeed, malevolence closes in on Ayosa the way that the world closes in on most girls around puberty.
    Nanjala Nyabola, Vogue, 26 Apr. 2022
  • His career as a vessel of Nazi malevolence begins in the late thirties.
    Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2023
  • Yes, there is a lot to mock in the Proud Boys playbook, but the bro-ish-ness of its branding actually helps to disguise its true malevolence.
    Courtney Shea, refinery29.com, 8 Jan. 2021
  • Flashbacks spanning decades apprise us of the voracious malevolence that has plagued the house.
    Tom Nolan, WSJ, 28 Oct. 2022
  • His truest moment of malevolence is reserved for a waitress who brings him an overcooked steak.
    Stephen Rodrick, Variety, 17 July 2023
  • The effect is like that of entering a movie set depicting the high-tech lair of a villain in a James Bond film, but without the air of menace and malevolence.
    Steven Litt, cleveland.com, 15 Apr. 2018
  • There’s a kind of malevolence that looms large precisely because its purview is so paltry.
    New York Times, 28 June 2022
  • In flashbacks that follow, a fuller portrait of John Paul emerges: less a man than a monster patched together from spite and malevolence, with a hefty dash of cringe.
    Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 1 Sep. 2022
  • On top of that, what if the moon was actually home to a living creature of unknown power and malevolence?
    Christian Holub, EW.com, 6 Jan. 2022
  • For one: how Phil’s malevolence comes from a place of self-loathing and self-protection as a closeted gay man living in Montana in 1925.
    Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2022
  • His lust is gluttony, and Return of the Jedi is weird enough to score his slothful malevolence to a musical number.
    Darren Franich, EW.com, 6 Nov. 2019
  • Some saw a teenager trying to work through a dark period in his life, while others saw a growing malevolence.
    Mark Berman and Matt Zapotosky, Houston Chronicle, 16 Feb. 2018
  • After all, despite Mark’s air of malevolence, the specifics of his conflict with Lily are never really fleshed out.
    David Sims, The Atlantic, 9 Mar. 2018
  • Parts of the song teeter right on the edge of malevolence as the band members use their mythic powers to battle their alter-egos, infamously dubbed X-EXO.
    Billboard Staff, Billboard, 29 Dec. 2019
  • For the theologian, the question is how to reconcile the malevolence and suffering of the world with the existence of an all-good, all-powerful god.
    James Ryerson, New York Times, 29 Dec. 2017
  • Or the Miami pigeons with sheer malevolence in their thieving eyes?
    Colm Tóibín, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Feb. 2022
  • Jesse was the closest thing to a conscience Walt had; once their partnership dissolved, Walt’s malevolence only grew.
    Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 9 Aug. 2022
  • And even with Richard, Mr. Whitehead infused comic touches as a counterpoint to the king’s malevolence.
    Brian Murphy, Washington Post, 21 June 2023
  • There may not be tanks in the streets and the administration`s malevolence may be constrained by now by its incompetence, but make no mistake, our democracy is in crisis.
    James Freeman, WSJ, 19 Sep. 2018
  • In Elvis, the approach is basically to hide Hanks, lest our knee-jerk fondness for him clash too much with Parker’s malevolence.
    A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 2 Sep. 2022
  • If sunshine is a metaphor for truth and freedom, then Kelly represents the cool, dark malevolence of whitemannery.
    Michael Harriot, The Root, 8 Feb. 2018
  • The intent in making so many threats seemed to be to terrorize; the perpetrator whom Miller described had some of the anonymous malevolence of the Internet troll.
    Adam Davidson, The New Yorker, 14 Mar. 2017
  • In some ways, legal experts said, the imagery of civilians shot at close range conveys a more personal malevolence.
    New York Times, 5 Apr. 2022
  • These characters all possess a sense of malevolence and danger that sets them apart from the more comedic or comically evil villains that the studio is known for.
    James Barrett, Country Living, 23 Jan. 2023
  • Juicy isn’t one to defend his father — the two had a contentious and abusive relationship — but the atmosphere feels poisoned with malevolence.
    Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Apr. 2023

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'malevolence.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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