Definition

Having the intention to cause harm or evil; malevolent.

Example

The maleficent witch cast a dark spell over the village.

Conversation

Did you hear about that new movie?

Yeah, I heard it's about a maleficent villain.

I wonder how they’ll portray such a maleficent character.

It should be interesting; I love a good twist on classic tales.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Maleficent → It is formed from "male-" (from Latin *malus*, meaning bad or evil) and "ficent" (from Latin *facere*, meaning to make or do). The word "maleficent" describes someone who does evil or bad things, thus meaning 'doing harm' or 'evil-doing'.

Memory Tip

Think of 'male-' meaning bad and 'ficent' meaning to make — this helps you remember that maleficent refers to someone who does bad things.

Visually Confused Words