malice

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun malice differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of malice are grudge, ill will, malevolence, malignity, spite, and spleen. While all these words mean "the desire to see another experience pain, injury, or distress," malice implies a deep-seated often unexplainable desire to see another suffer.

felt no malice toward their former enemies

When is grudge a more appropriate choice than malice?

Although the words grudge and malice have much in common, grudge implies a harbored feeling of resentment or ill will that seeks satisfaction.

never one to harbor a grudge

When is it sensible to use ill will instead of malice?

In some situations, the words ill will and malice are roughly equivalent. However, ill will implies a feeling of antipathy of limited duration.

ill will provoked by a careless remark

Where would malevolence be a reasonable alternative to malice?

The words malevolence and malice are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, malevolence suggests a bitter persistent hatred that is likely to be expressed in malicious conduct.

a look of dark malevolence

In what contexts can malignity take the place of malice?

The words malignity and malice can be used in similar contexts, but malignity implies deep passion and relentlessness.

a life consumed by motiveless malignity

When would spite be a good substitute for malice?

The synonyms spite and malice are sometimes interchangeable, but spite implies petty feelings of envy and resentment that are often expressed in small harassments.

petty insults inspired by spite

When might spleen be a better fit than malice?

While the synonyms spleen and malice are close in meaning, spleen suggests the wrathful release of latent spite or persistent malice.

venting his spleen against politicians

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of malice Smith said Hawthorne committed murder because his actions showed malice. Charlotte Observer, 2 Sep. 2025 Jake Haro, 32, and his wife, Rebecca Haro, 41, were each charged with felony murder with malice on Tuesday in the death of their son Emmanuel, according to the Riverside County District Attorney’s office. Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 27 Aug. 2025 The two have been charged with felony murder with malice. Megan Forrester, ABC News, 25 Aug. 2025 There was no malice or sarcasm in his voice — just sincerity. Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for malice
Recent Examples of Synonyms for malice
Noun
  • Networks and stations should know that such venom could now carry sizable public pushback.
    Newsweek Contributors, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Sep. 2025
  • Despite being the most abundant, their venom is not very potent, the wildlife agency said.
    Kirsten Fiscus, Nashville Tennessean, 17 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Raised under Augusta’s religious terror and hatred for women, Ed tries to hide his penchant for ladies’ underwear and masturbation to no avail.
    Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 3 Oct. 2025
  • Not as a land of fear, not as a divisiveness, not of government censorship, not of hatred.
    Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 3 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Brooks explained the white and brown pup was rescued from a cruelty case in South Carolina.
    Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Oct. 2025
  • The cruelty, after all, is the point.
    Liam Quinn, PEOPLE, 30 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Yes, although your character in that film, Lisa, is very put-together in spite of what’s going on in her life.
    Matthew Jacobs, Vulture, 30 Sep. 2025
  • For all his individual stubbornness and spite, Milošević could not match the resilience and determination of Serbia’s citizens.
    Hanna Begić, The Conversation, 29 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Fonda arrived in Rome with his blue eyes darkened by contact lenses, the better to convey malevolence.
    Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2025
  • That’s an extremely human sentiment, reflecting anger and malevolence.
    Thomas Elias, Mercury News, 2 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The monthlong celebration comes at a crucial time, as transgender youths continue to face mounting legislative attacks and social hostility nationwide.
    Duante Beddingfield, Freep.com, 1 Oct. 2025
  • Police officers eventually began to line tee boxes as the weekend progressed, though that also did not assuage the hostility.
    Matt Moret, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • His Cyrano is the play’s hero, even if the character’s psychological limitations are as much a factor in the story as the machinations of De Guiche, whose malignity is sent up in Nathanson’s flamboyantly comic turn.
    Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2024
  • For a decade, the central drama of Trumpism has concerned the Republican élites who continued to support him—the story has been about their malignity, or opportunism, or willful moral blindness.
    Benjamin Wallace-Wells, The New Yorker, 16 Sep. 2023

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Cite this Entry

“Malice.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/malice. Accessed 4 Oct. 2025.

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