as in vicious
having or showing a desire to cause someone pain or suffering for the sheer enjoyment of it
the neighborhood chatterbox has again been spreading malicious gossip
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of malicious
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
Cantwell and Bowers appeared in Boston Municipal Court in Roxbury on Monday to answer charges of malicious destruction of property over $1,200, disorderly conduct, assault and battery on a police officer, and resisting arrest.
—Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 8 Oct. 2025
When the user clicks that link, the browser mistakes the malicious prompt for an instruction from the user—and begins carrying it out.
—Billy Perrigo, Time, 7 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for malicious
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
Cantwell and Bowers appeared in Boston Municipal Court in Roxbury on Monday to answer charges of malicious destruction of property over $1,200, disorderly conduct, assault and battery on a police officer, and resisting arrest.
—Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 8 Oct. 2025
When the user clicks that link, the browser mistakes the malicious prompt for an instruction from the user—and begins carrying it out.
—Billy Perrigo, Time, 7 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for malicious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for malicious
Adjective
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The boos were booming and vicious.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
3 Nov. 2025
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This ad hoc ecosystem of technology is creating a vicious cycle where the very technology meant to solve problems ends up creating more.—
Daniel Kendzior,
Fortune,
31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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In Pahani’s 2006 award-winning comedy Offside, about the cruel cultural chains binding Iranian women, a group of young women attempt to gain entry to a stadium to watch a World Cup qualifying match between Iran and Japan.—
Baz Bamigboye,
Deadline,
24 Oct. 2025
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There is no reason to be cruel to people.—
Sigal Ratner-Arias,
Billboard,
23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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According to research from Copyleaks, an AI analysis firm that helps businesses and institutions navigate the shifting landscape of this emergent technology, a new trend has produced Sora videos of celebrities appearing to spew hateful racist epithets.—
Miles Klee,
Rolling Stone,
23 Oct. 2025
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Other fits have been hateful, veering into racist and antisemitic diatribes.—
Taijuan Moorman,
USA Today,
23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The discrepancy has divided voters, stirred up nasty social media exchanges and even inspired an 18-year-old Lakota grad to throw his hat in the district's school board race.—
Grace Tucker,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
29 Oct. 2025
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And any school or school district that does try to discriminate, that man right there will probably first send you a nasty gram and then drop the hammer.—
Kimberlee Speakman,
PEOPLE,
29 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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King is said to have had nightmares that night — his son running through endless hallways, pursued by a malevolent presence — inspiring the plot of the famous movie.—
Noreen Kompanik,
Boston Herald,
26 Oct. 2025
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Needless to say, malevolent spirits combined with a constantly escalating chat make for a very unpleasant evening.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Meester holds her cards close to her chest, leaving us to wonder whether Joanne is being spiteful and shallow (given her trajectory … probably) or whether this woman is really that unbearable.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
24 Oct. 2025
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Several diss tracks followed, with the musicians hurling increasingly spiteful insults at each other relating to accusations of domestic abuse, exploitation and pedophilia.—
Ethan Millman,
HollywoodReporter,
9 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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These malignant tumors are often hormone receptor-positive, meaning the cancer cells grow in response to estrogen or progesterone.—
Faye Chiu,
CNN Money,
22 Oct. 2025
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Some of the images contain cancerous tumors, and, over time, the AI learns to distinguish the often subtle differences between malignant and benign tissue.—
Elizabeth Cohen,
NBC news,
22 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Malicious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/malicious. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
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