malvagio

wicked

adjective mahl-VAH-joh Rare

Origin: From Late Latin 'malvagius', probably from 'malus' (bad) + a Germanic root.

Also means

evil

Usage Note

Malvagio inflects fully: malvagio (m sg), malvagia (f sg), malvagi (m pl), malvagie (f pl). It implies deep moral wickedness rather than mere naughtiness — stronger than cattivo (naughty, bad). The noun malvagità (wickedness, feminine, invariable plural) derives from it. In fairy tales and literary contexts, il malvagio is the stock villain figure.

Examples

"Il personaggio malvagio muore alla fine."

Natural Translation

The wicked character dies at the end.

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