Comment on the phrasing but not the substance of what you’re saying:
IMO, “malevolent” is a bad phrase for what I think you might mean. (To my ears, “malevolent” has the connotations of wanting to do something bad for consciously-selfish reasons or wishing bad things upon others. That’s different from being very strategic about one’s actions in interpersonal situations, being comfortable with lying, etc.)
I use “dark triad traits” or “person who seems interpersonally incorrigible.” (If I thought someone were sadistic or particularly spiteful, then I think “malevolent” would also be appropriate.)
(FWIW I found “dark triad” more jarring and skepticism-provoking than if you’d just said “malevolent”, since I take it more seriously as a contentful attempt at psychological diagnosis, and therefore not the kind of thing I expect to be casually dropped into an otherwise-unrelated comment.
If you want a vaguer term, some common options include “bad actors” or “people acting in bad faith”. “Dark-triad-ish people” would also have made more sense to me and made me way less skeptical on a first read.)
Comment on the phrasing but not the substance of what you’re saying:
IMO, “malevolent” is a bad phrase for what I think you might mean. (To my ears, “malevolent” has the connotations of wanting to do something bad for consciously-selfish reasons or wishing bad things upon others. That’s different from being very strategic about one’s actions in interpersonal situations, being comfortable with lying, etc.)
I understand, but what is the alternative, exactly?
I use “dark triad traits” or “person who seems interpersonally incorrigible.” (If I thought someone were sadistic or particularly spiteful, then I think “malevolent” would also be appropriate.)
Alright, I’ll edit my comments to use dark triad traits now.
(FWIW I found “dark triad” more jarring and skepticism-provoking than if you’d just said “malevolent”, since I take it more seriously as a contentful attempt at psychological diagnosis, and therefore not the kind of thing I expect to be casually dropped into an otherwise-unrelated comment.
If you want a vaguer term, some common options include “bad actors” or “people acting in bad faith”. “Dark-triad-ish people” would also have made more sense to me and made me way less skeptical on a first read.)