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Vicious vs Malignant - What's the difference?

vicious | malignant | Related terms |

As adjectives the difference between vicious and malignant

is that vicious is pertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity while malignant is harmful, malevolent, injurious.

As a noun malignant is

1823, The Retrospective Review (volume 7, page 11.

vicious

English

Alternative forms

* (obsolete)

Adjective

(en-adj)
  • Pertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity.
  • *, Folio Society, 2006, vol.1, p.195:
  • *:We may so seize on vertue, that if we embrace it with an over-greedy and violent desire, it may become vicious .
  • Evil, immoral or depraved.
  • Violent, destructive and cruel.
  • Savage and aggressive.
  • *

    • Synonyms

    *

    Derived terms

    * vicious circle

    Related terms

    * vice * vitiate

    malignant

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Harmful, malevolent, injurious.
  • * {{quote-book, year=1922, author=(Ben Travers), title=(A Cuckoo in the Nest)
    • , chapter=1 citation , passage=“[…] the awfully hearty sort of Christmas cards that people do send to other people that they don't know at all well. You know. The kind that have mottoes
  • (medicine) Tending to produce death; threatening a fatal issue.
    • malignant diphtheria
    a malignant tumor

    Antonyms

    * (medicine) benign

    Related terms

    * nonmalignant

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • * 1823 , The Retrospective Review (volume 7, page 11)
    • As devout Stephen was carried to his burial by devout men, so is it just and equal that malignants should carry malignants
    ----