adjective
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characterized by malice
-
motivated by wrongful, vicious, or mischievous purposes
Other Word Forms
- maliciously adverb
- maliciousness noun
- nonmalicious adjective
- nonmaliciously adverb
- semimalicious adjective
- semimaliciously adverb
- unmalicious adjective
- unmaliciously adverb
Etymology
Origin of malicious
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English malicius, from Old French, from Latin malitiōsus; malice, -ous
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Doe is also suing for malicious prosecution and intentional infliction of emotional distress, and seeks a jury trial.
From Los Angeles Times
This week he filed a malicious prosecution lawsuit, seeking compensatory and punitive damages against Rueda and deep-pocketed law firms Khan Law Office and Withers Bergman, as well as defunct firm Pierce Bainbridge Beck Price & Hecht.
From Los Angeles Times
I am not diagnosing him or implying malicious intent, but I do believe you should be guarded.
From MarketWatch
Today AI can do deep, automated audits of software to detect malicious code that a human reviewer could miss amid millions of lines.
Look no further than iconic horror films like “Cloverfield” or “The Ring,” where glitches signify the presence of something unnatural and malicious.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
