malicious
adjective
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Malicious, Malevolent, and Malice
Malicious and malevolent are close in meaning, since both refer to ill will that desires to see someone else suffer. But while malevolent suggests deep and lasting dislike, malicious usually means petty and spiteful. Malicious gossipers are often simply envious of a neighbor's good fortune. Vandals may take malicious pleasure in destroying and defacing property but usually don't truly hate the owners. Malice is an important legal concept, which has to be proved in order to convict someone of certain crimes such as first-degree murder.
Examples of malicious in a Sentence
Joyce Carol Oates, New York Times Book Review, 5 Nov. 2000
A cunning and malicious crook who suckered him without half trying.
—Philip Roth, American Pastoral, 1997
Frank sensed her discomfort and took a certain malicious pleasure in it, enacting all the while his perfect innocence.
—John Updike, The Afterlife, 1994
a malicious distortion of the truth
the neighborhood chatterbox has again been spreading malicious gossip
Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2025
One of the newest threats comes in the form of malicious apps that appear legitimate but can take full control of your device.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2025
In summer 2024, another complaint focused on the classified documents case, accusing the FBI of violating his privacy with the Mar-a-Lago raid and the DOJ of malicious prosecution.
—Kinsey Crowley, USA Today, 22 Oct. 2025
Other schemes try to entice victims to click on a link and then install malicious software.
—Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 20 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for malicious
Cite this Entry
“Malicious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/malicious. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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malicious
adjective
Legal Definition
malicious
adjective
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