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'Malignant' (from the Latin roots ''mal-'' = "bad" and ''-genus'' = "born") is a medical term used to describe a severe and progressively worsening disease. The term is most familiar as a description of cancer. A ''malignant tumor'' may be contrasted with a non-cancerous ''benign tumor'' in that a ''malignancy'' is not self-limited in its growth, is capable of invading into adjacent tissues, and may be capable of spreading to distant tissues (''metastasizing''), while a ''benign tumor'' has none of those properties.
Uses of ''"malignant"'' in oncology:

★ ''Malignancy'', ''malignant neoplasm'', and ''malignant tumor'' are synonymous with cancer

★ ''Malignant ascites''

★ ''Malignant transformation''
Non-oncologic disorders referred to as ''"malignant"'':

★ ''Malignant hypertension''

★ ''Malignant hyperthermia''

★ ''Malignant otitis externa

★ ''Malignant tertian malaria'' (Malaria caused specifically by ''Plasmodium falciparum'')

★ ''Neuroleptic malignant syndrome''