Meaning
wicked, evil
- wicked, malign
- malicious
- bad
In a sentence
Nella fiaba c'è una regina malvagia e crudele.
In the fairy tale there is a wicked and cruel queen.
Perché fai quella faccia malvagia?
Why are you making that wicked face?
Il capo è stato malvagio con tutti ieri.
The boss was nasty to everyone yesterday.
Word forms (4)
| Word | Word forms |
|---|---|
| malvagio | masculine · singular |
| malvagia | feminine · singular |
| malvagi | masculine · plural |
| malvagie | feminine · plural |
Usage notes
- Stronger and more literary than cattivo. Common for villains, fairy tales, and dramatic moral judgment.
- Use maligno more for harmful intent or medical contexts; malvagio sounds more personal and moral.
- It agrees normally: malvagio, malvagia, malvagi, malvagie. Learners often forget the feminine singular malvagia.