maleficent
maleficent — 形容詞
- maleficentpositive
- more maleficentcomparative
- most maleficentsuperlative
1. acting or intended to cause harm, evil, or suffering — used of people, forces, o
惡毒的
蓄意造成傷害或邪惡的
acting or intended to cause harm, evil, or suffering — used of people, forces, or actions that actively produce bad outcomes, such as a malicious ruler who deliberately hurts their subjects, or a supernatural curse that brings disaster
A witch cast a maleficent spell that turned the prince into a beast.
一個女巫施了一個惡毒的咒語，把王子變成了野獸。
formal/literary register: supernatural contexts
The villagers believed a maleficent spirit brought sickness to their cattle.
村民們相信一個惡靈給他們的牛群帶來了疾病。
collocation: maleficent + spirit / force / power
Historians described the emperor's maleficent policies as a source of great suffering for the population.
歷史學家指出，皇帝的惡毒政策為人民帶來了巨大的苦難。
The folk tale warned of a maleficent nobleman who poisoned his guests for their land.
這則民間傳說告誡人們，有一位邪惡的貴族為了奪取土地而毒殺賓客。
Environmental groups protested the maleficent effects of factory waste on the nearby river.
環保團體抗議工廠廢水對附近河流造成的惡毒影響。
- malevolent
focuses on having an active wish to harm others, whereas 'maleficent' emphasises causing actual harm
- malicious
more common in everyday use, implies spiteful intent rather than actively producing evil outcomes
- baleful
literary word meaning threatening or promising harm, not necessarily carrying it out
- harmful
general-purpose word for causing damage; lacks the formal register and sense of deliberate evil
- benevolent
wishing or doing good, the direct opposite in register and meaning
- benign
gentle and harmless, without any threat of evil
用法筆記
This word is rare in everyday conversation and belongs to formal, literary, or academic registers. For ordinary descriptions of harm, learners should prefer 'harmful,' 'damaging,' or 'evil' instead.