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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of malicious
He was charged with assault and battery on a person over the age of 60, witness intimidation, malicious destruction of property, and disorderly conduct.
—
Riley Rourke, CBS News, 1 May 2026
The 31-year-old man was charged Wednesday with malicious destruction of property and possessing substances to operate a meth lab.
—ABC News, 30 Apr. 2026
Xin Tong faces charges of malicious destruction of property over $20,000 and operating or maintaining a methamphetamine lab, state police said in a news release.
—Janat Batra, NBC news, 30 Apr. 2026
LLMs judge whether a request is malicious by reading the request itself.
—Evan Johnson, IEEE Spectrum, 30 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for malicious
Riley Rourke, CBS News, 1 May 2026
The 31-year-old man was charged Wednesday with malicious destruction of property and possessing substances to operate a meth lab.
—ABC News, 30 Apr. 2026
Xin Tong faces charges of malicious destruction of property over $20,000 and operating or maintaining a methamphetamine lab, state police said in a news release.
—Janat Batra, NBC news, 30 Apr. 2026
LLMs judge whether a request is malicious by reading the request itself.
—Evan Johnson, IEEE Spectrum, 30 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for malicious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for malicious
Adjective
-
Connecticut led New York 13-4 through the first four minutes of the third quarter, but Stewart killed the momentum with a vicious block from behind as Miller went up for a fast-break layup off of a steal.—
Emily Adams,
Hartford Courant,
9 May 2026
-
Harris’s film, though, trades brainy barbs for some pretty vicious violence as a set of twins, badly scarred from a childhood fire, go on a journey to confront the root of their trauma.—
Juan A. Ramírez,
Vogue,
8 May 2026
Adjective
-
Even his students can be casually cruel to each other, emulating a president that Artie almost cannot fathom.—
John Warner,
Chicago Tribune,
2 May 2026
-
Baseball is a sport built on failure surrounded by a cruel, cynical business, but this level of irony is almost too rich to digest.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
1 May 2026
Adjective
-
But don’t forget, coming with that agenda were the most wild and hateful type of movements … the Ku Klux Klan.—
Ethan Baron,
Mercury News,
1 May 2026
-
An investigation is underway into hateful graffiti in a Long Island neighborhood.—
Jenna DeAngelis,
CBS News,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
In the last two weeks, five friends have come down with either a pesty cold or nasty flu bug.—
Cathy Thomas,
Oc Register,
4 May 2026
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Otherwise, you people might be tempted to dash off a bunch of nasty remarks in the comments section.—
Jayson Stark,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
Adjective
-
Something is wrong at New Hyde, a malevolent devil or monster which attacks patients, including Pepper.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
27 Apr. 2026
-
The sound of cockcrow, it was believed, prompted malevolent spirits to fly away.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
However nasty and spiteful things get between the Butleys and the del Valles, there’s always the sense that a détente may still be possible.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
28 Apr. 2026
-
But again and again throughout Thursday's hearing, the fraying of bonds between Kennedy and his former party was on full display as spiteful comments were passed back and forth.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
16 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
While most are harmless, some have the potential to become malignant over time.—
Holly Burns,
Time,
6 May 2026
-
About half of mammary tumors found in dogs are benign, and of those that are malignant, most can be treated successfully with surgery if caught early enough.—
Samantha Agate,
Kansas City Star,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Malicious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/malicious. Accessed 10 May. 2026.
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