A case of malignant melanoma of the cervix was diagnosed on a Papanicolaou-stained cervical smear from a 70-year-old women who had several small purpura-like spots on the ectocervix at the time of a routine cervical examination. The smear was characterized by scattered, small, dissociated cells with hyperchromatic, irregular nuclei, prominent nucleoli and occasional cytoplasmic, brown pigment. The diagnosis was confirmed by subsequent cervical biopsy and radical hysterectomy.