Standard Lemma guide

malefic

adj · noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • /məˈlɛfɪk/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Having an evil or harmful influence; baleful.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: evil, maleficent, malevolent, abandoned, arrant, bad, bad apple, bad seed, baleful, scurrilous, baneful, base, black-hearted, dark, deleterious, demonic, depraved, despicable, detrimental, devilish, diabolical, evil-minded, facinorous, flagitious, harmful, heinous, ill-intentioned, ill-natured, immoral, incorrigible, iniquitous, iniquous, injurious, knavish, malefic, malicious, malign, malignant, naughty, nefarious, niddering, nidering, niding, nithing, no-good, peccaminous, pernicious, reprehensible, reprobate, satanic, scathful, sinful, sinister, sordid, sullen, ungodly, unholy, vicious, vile, villainous, wicked, wrong

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A malefic planet.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: astrology, human-sciences, mysticism, philosophy, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: benefic

3

adjective satellite

Meaning 3

having or exerting a malignant influence

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • malevolent stars
  • a malefic force

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: malevolent, malign, evil

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Latin maleficus.