Benign and Malignant

Benign

Benign adjective - Not causing or being capable of causing injury or hurt.
Usage example: around campus he's known as a real character, but one whose eccentricities are entirely benign

Malignant is an antonym for benign in topics: harmless, advantageous, kindly, mild, not cancerous.

Nearby Words: benignant, benignly, benignity

Malignant

Malignant adjective - Having or showing a desire to cause someone pain or suffering for the sheer enjoyment of it.
Usage example: a malignant wish to lash out at everyone who was smarter, richer, or better-looking than he was

Benign is an antonym for malignant in topics: hostile, diseased.

Both words in one sentence

  • Tabletop Game / Unknown Armies True examples of purely malignant or benign groups are very thin on the ground.
  • Literature / Gnomes Black Sheep: Siberian gnomes are often less benign than most others, and occasionally, like one in one of the Legends, malignant towards humans.
Cite this Source
Malignant and Benign. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/benign/malignant
Benign & Malignant. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/benign/malignant>.
Malignant or Benign. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/benign/malignant.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "benign" and "malignant" have occurred on timeline