Malevolent: meaning and SAT practice

Malevolent (adjective) means: Wishing harm or evil to others, malicious.

Malevolent in a sentence

The malevolent villain plotted to destroy the kingdom.

Similar: evil, wicked, malicious, sinister, hostile. Opposite: benevolent, kind, good.

SAT-style practice: what does “malevolent” most nearly mean?

The malevolent villain plotted to destroy the kingdom.

As used in the sentence, “malevolent” most nearly means

  1. difficult
  2. evil
  3. sarcastic
  4. irresponsible
Show the answer

Answer: B. “malevolent” means: Wishing harm or evil to others, malicious. “evil” is the closest match in this sentence. The other choices are real SAT-level words, but none of them carries that meaning here.

On the digital SAT this is the “Words in Context” skill, about 7 of the 54 Reading and Writing questions. The test asks what a word means as used in the passage, so a word’s most common meaning is not always the answer. More of these, with full explanations, are on SAT Words in Context practice questions.

  • petulant: Childishly sulky or bad-tempered about something.
  • opaque: Not allowing light to pass through, not transparent.
  • strident: Loud, harsh, and demanding attention in an unpleasant way.
  • salutary: Producing a good or beneficial effect on health or well-being.
  • intractable: Difficult to manage, control, or solve despite efforts.
  • painstaking: Requiring or showing great care and effort.

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