Skip to content

maléfique

evil, maleficent

adjective mah-leh-FEEK Rare

Usage Note

Maléfique carries a strong supernatural or fairy-tale register — it describes curses, witches, and dark forces rather than everyday wrongdoing. The noun maléfice means a spell or hex. It contrasts with bénéfique (beneficial), the same Latin suffix -fique appearing in both.

Examples

"La fée maléfique a jeté un sort."

Natural Translation

The evil fairy cast a spell.

Explore French by topic