{ } 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 ] Variants: Malignance |