malignancy

noun

ma·​lig·​nan·​cy mə-ˈlig-nən(t)-sē How to pronounce malignancy (audio)
plural malignancies
1
: the quality or state of being malignant
2
a
: exhibition (as by a tumor) of malignant qualities : virulence
b
: a malignant tumor

Examples of malignancy in a Sentence

the malignancy of the tumor The test revealed a malignancy in the patient's chest.
Recent Examples on the Web When people with obesity face barriers to effective screening, early-stage cancers can fly under the radar, sometimes leading them to progress to more aggressive malignancies. Claire Bugos, Verywell Health, 19 Jan. 2024 The most common side effects of Xolair are injection site reactions and fever, but the FDA noted that the drug has also been associated with joint pain, rash, parasitic infections, malignancies and abnormal laboratory tests. Jonel Aleccia, Quartz, 16 Feb. 2024 Her doctors are determining if the malignancy was caught early. USA TODAY, 22 Jan. 2024 Reed Jobs, biotech VC Reed Jobs spent about eight years on the path to becoming a cancer researcher, inspired by his father’s experience with pancreatic cancer to find new treatments for incurable malignancies. Damian Garde, STAT, 12 Dec. 2023 Lung cancer kills more Americans than any other malignancy, and the death rates are worst in a swath of states including Kentucky and its neighbors Tennessee and West Virginia, and stretching south to Mississippi and Louisiana, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Charlotte Huff, CBS News, 15 Feb. 2024 Actinium 225’s particular radioactivity is potentially potent in the fight against prostate cancer, and studies on its effectiveness against other malignancies are in the works. Sarah Scoles, Scientific American, 13 Feb. 2024 If an oncologist fails to diagnose malignancies, lives are at stake. Simon Makin, Scientific American, 1 Feb. 2024 Those patients who were classified as having severe immunosuppression had a malignancy, or had a [bone marrow] transplant. Elizabeth Cooney, STAT, 24 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'malignancy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1601, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of malignancy was in 1601

Dictionary Entries Near malignancy

Cite this Entry

“Malignancy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/malignancy. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

malignancy

noun
ma·​lig·​nan·​cy mə-ˈlig-nən-sē How to pronounce malignancy (audio)
plural malignancies
1
: the quality or state of being malignant
2
: a malignant tumor

Medical Definition

malignancy

noun
ma·​lig·​nan·​cy mə-ˈlig-nən-sē How to pronounce malignancy (audio)
plural malignancies
1
: the quality or state of being malignant
2
a
: exhibition (as by a tumor) of malignant qualities : virulence
b
: a malignant tumor

More from Merriam-Webster on malignancy

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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