Definition

Noun: 1. A curse; the utterance of a wish that evil or harm befall someone: A formal or solemn invocation of supernatural power to inflict harm or punishment upon a person or thing. 2. The act of speaking a curse: The action of pronouncing words intended to invoke evil, often as an insult or expression of intense ill-will.

Usage

• "Malediction" is a formal, literary word for a curse. It often implies a spoken, deliberate, and serious invocation of evil, distinct from casual swearing.
• It is typically used in contexts involving formal denunciation, ancient rituals, witchcraft, or profound hatred.
• It can function as a countable noun (a malediction, several maledictions) or as an uncountable noun referring to the general concept.

Examples

• The witch pronounced a terrible malediction upon the village.
• In the story, the prince was under a malediction that turned him into a beast.
• He hurled maledictions at his enemies as they carried him away.
• The old tomb was said to be protected by ancient maledictions.

Advanced Usage

• "To lay/pronounce/utter a malediction upon (someone/something)": This is a common collocation describing the act of cursing.
  • The priestess pronounced a malediction upon the invaders.
• "To be under a malediction": To be suffering the effects of a curse.
  • The family believed they were under a malediction for generations.

Variants and Related Words

• Maledictory (adjective): Having the nature of or expressing a curse.
  • He spoke in a maledictory tone.
• Benediction (noun): The antonym; a blessing, the utterance of a wish for happiness or good fortune.

Synonyms

• Curse: The most common synonym.
• Imprecation: A formal word for a spoken curse.
• Execration: A curse expressing intense loathing.
• Anathema: A formal ecclesiastical curse involving excommunication; something or someone intensely disliked.

Idioms and Phrases

• "A fate worse than malediction": An extremely undesirable outcome, even worse than being cursed. (A literary construction).
  • To him, obscurity was a fate worse than malediction.

Noun

1. the act of calling down a curse that invokes evil (and usually serves as an insult)
   • he suffered the imprecations of the mob