malcontent

American  

[mal-kuhn-tent] / ˌmæl kənˈtɛnt /

adjective

1. not satisfied or content with currently prevailing conditions or circumstances.

2. dissatisfied with the existing government, administration, system, etc.

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noun

1. a malcontent person, especially one who is chronically discontented or dissatisfied.

   Synonyms:

   faultfinder, complainer, grumbler

malcontent British  

/ ˈmælkənˌtɛnt /

adjective

1. disgusted or discontented

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noun

1. a person who is malcontent

Other Word Forms

• malcontentedly
  adverb
• malcontentedness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of malcontent

1575–85; < Middle French, Old French; see mal-, content ²

Explanation

A malcontent is someone who's always dissatisfied. The guy at the restaurant who sends back the steak because it's too rare, then sends it back a second time complaining that it's not rare enough — he's a malcontent. Malcontent is often used to describe people who complain about more important things than steaks — things like social and political injustice. In Shakespeare's day, the Malcontent was a popular character type. Hamlet was a classic Malcontent. He believed that his uncle, King Claudius, murdered his father for power, and it made him angry that everyone else seemed to think that Claudius was a good person.

Example Sentences

If a coworker or kin finds herself cornered in a dour discussion with the malcontent, she will activate the most creative parts of her mind to engineer an excuse to exit the encounter.

From Salon • Aug. 10, 2024

She’s the kind of malcontent who will, in all sincerity, accuse people of being “in cahoots.”

From New York Times • Feb. 29, 2024

Production designer Craig Lathrop, a Robert Eggers regular, recreates the merciless grimness of winter in New England among its malcontent townies.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 30, 2023

But it wouldn’t be a reach to believe the NBA legend’s criticism of his portrayal in the show — as a tempestuous and profane malcontent who vacillates between anger and despair — helped boost ratings.

From Washington Post • May 15, 2022

As soon as you have revealed your intention to one malcontent, you give him the means to make himself content, since he can have everything he desires by revealing the plot.

From "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli