noun
adj
Freq #66349
Meanings
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1
noun
a person who is dissatisfied with existing conditions, especially one who actively opposes an established authority or system
Political malcontents organized a campaign against the ruling council.
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2
adj
dissatisfied with the existing state of affairs; discontented or rebellious
The malcontent faction refused to support the compromise.
Thesaurus
Synonyms
Word family
Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French malcontent, formed from mal- ('badly; ill') + content ('satisfied'), ultimately from Latin contentus. English has used both the noun for a dissatisfied opponent and the adjective for someone dissatisfied with current conditions since the late sixteenth century.