adjective/ma.lɛ̃/
nocive, pernicious; malignant; malicious, sadistic (which likes to do or say hurtful things for fun); smart and quick-thinking, and often tricksterish; cunning, crafty; aggressive (of an animal); petulant (of a person)
“une tumeur maligne” — a malignant tumor
Synonyms: méchant, astucieux, fin, intelligent, rusé
Antonyms: bénin
Inherited from Middle French malin(g), backformation from Old French maligne m (12th c.), a borrowing from Latin malignus. Compare the same backformation in bénin and, on the other hand, the original common-gender form preserved in digne.