Malefit
noun
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A detriment or disadvantage
"However, if there are elements of similarity or dissimilarity, such as benefits and malefits to mankind, it can be useful to make such a comparison even if it cannot be made quantitatively."
Example
More examples"However, if there are elements of similarity or dissimilarity, such as benefits and malefits to mankind, it can be useful to make such a comparison even if it cannot be made quantitatively."
Etymology
Attested from 1700s. Learned borrowing from Latin malefit, modeled on benefit. Equivalent to French malfaire.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.