malignancy
Americannoun
plural
malignancies-
the quality or condition of being malignant.
-
malignant character, behavior, action, or the like.
the malignancies of war.
-
a malignant tumor.
noun
-
the state or quality of being malignant
-
pathol a cancerous growth
Other Word Forms
- nonmalignance noun
- nonmalignancy noun
Etymology
Origin of malignancy
First recorded in 1595–1605; malign(ant) + -ancy
Vocabulary lists containing malignancy
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But he sure makes the strongest case for being the most malevolent, influential force there, a malignancy that poisons everything he touches.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 29, 2026
Nothing in these stories, translated by Megan McDowell, is quite impossible, yet the shadow of numinous malignancy hangs over everything.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 9, 2025
Not because cancer had been ruled out — it’s possible that the tests might have missed a subtle malignancy, still brewing.
From Salon • May 20, 2025
Using these images, the model was able to identify patterns that predict anatomical site, malignancy, and prognosis across three different use cases in four cohorts.
From Science Daily • May 7, 2024
Ben laughed and the whole class turned around, as if obedient to one of Sister Loretta’s clicks, to witness the removal of a malignancy from the class.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
