[syn: malignity, malignancy, malignance]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Malignance \Ma*lig"nance\, Malignancy \Ma*lig"nan*cy\, n. [See
Malignant.]
1. The state or quality of being malignant; extreme
malevolence; bitter enmity; malice; disposition toward
evil; intense ill will; as, malignancy of heart.
[1913 Webster]
2. Unfavorableness; evil nature.
[1913 Webster]
The malignancy of my fate might perhaps distemner
yours. --Shak.
[1913 Webster]
3. (Med.) Virulence; tendency to a fatal issue; as, the
malignancy of an ulcer or of a fever.
[1913 Webster]
4. Hence: (Med.) A cancerous tumor that is spreading beyond
the point of origin.
Syn: malignant tumor, malignant neoplasm, metastatic tumor.
[WordNet 1.5]
5. The state of being a malignant.
[1913 Webster]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
malignancy
n 1: (medicine) a malignant state; progressive and resistant to
treatment and tending to cause death [syn: malignancy,
malignance]
2: quality of being disposed to evil; intense ill will [syn:
malignity, malignancy, malignance] [ant: benignancy,
benignity, graciousness]
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:
56 Moby Thesaurus words for "malignancy":
balefulness, banefulness, bitchiness, communicability,
contagiousness, cussedness, deadliness, despite, destructiveness,
detrimentalness, devilment, devilry, deviltry, evil intent,
fatality, grudge, harmfulness, hatefulness, hurtfulness, ill will,
infectiousness, infectivity, iniquitousness, injuriousness,
invidiousness, lethality, maleficence, malevolence, malice,
malice aforethought, malice prepense, maliciousness, malignance,
malignity, meanness, mischievousness, mortality, nastiness,
noisomeness, noxiousness, ominousness, orneriness, perniciousness,
poison, poisonousness, spite, spitefulness, spleen, toxicity,
unhealthiness, venom, venomousness, viciousness, virulence,
virulency, wickedness