malicious

play

adjective ma·li·cious \mə-ˈli-shəs\

Definition of malicious

: having or showing a desire to cause harm to someone : given to, marked by, or arising from malice malicious gossip

maliciously

adverb

maliciousness

noun

See malicious defined for English-language learners

See malicious defined for kids

Examples of malicious in a sentence

… she is an inspired hater, and thrills to malicious descriptions of long-forgotten, nameless individuals whose bad luck it was to live near her, or to have met her socially. —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

Recent Examples of malicious from the web

No damage was reported at that second site, but malicious mischief was suspected.

— carol cormaci, La Cañada Valley Sun, La Cañada History: Paradise Canyon student repeats big win at county spelling bee, 4 April 2017
Yahoo Inc. is warning users of potentially malicious activity on their accounts between 2015 and 2016.

— associated press, latimes.com, Yahoo warns users of potential malicious activity on their accounts, 15 February 2017
The government cautioned that the addresses weren’t automatically tied to Russian malicious activity, but instead were indicators that computer security experts should investigate further.

— tami abdollah | ap, Washington Post, Cyber experts report ‘chasing ghosts’ after US warning, 6 January 2017
Songz faces malicious destruction of property and resisting and obstructing charges.

— Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Singer Trey Songz arrested after concert outburst in Detroit, 29 December 2016
Mr. Smith, 19 years old, has been charged with one count of unlawful and malicious possession of an explosive substance with intent to endanger life, the Metropolitan Police said in a statement.

— alexis flynn, WSJ, U.K. Police Charge Teen With Planting Explosives on Subway, 26 October 2016
Malicious hackers could try to access that file and alter or destroy it.

— dylan baddour, Houston Chronicle, Stanart: local elections cannot be hacked or rigged, 6 October 2016
Install a hackable aftermarket radio and some malicious entity could take control of one's brakes.

— alexis c. madrigal, The Atlantic, When Cars Are as Hackable as Cell Phones, 8 September 2014
This is not necessarily malicious, or even explicitly anti-science.

— john h. richardson, Esquire, Why Global Warming 'Skeptics' Refuse to Believe Scientists, 20 May 2010

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Did You Know?

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.