malicious

adjective

mə-ˈli-shəs How to pronounce malicious (audio)
Definition of maliciousnext
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 malicious Days later, Britain’s AI Security Institute said that Anthropic’s most advanced AI model had used fake identities to cover its tracks and attempt to plant malicious code during testing. — Anna Cooban, CNN Money, 31 Aug. 2026 Even highly mature enterprise SOCs frequently remain dependent on humans assembling information from multiple systems, determining whether something is malicious and deciding what should happen next. — Emil Sayegh, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026 That leaves a short window during which malicious activity can contaminate the prediction machinery again. — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 28 Aug. 2026 Once the device is infected, the malware downloads additional packages designed to join the device to a botnet used for malicious proxy services and ad fraud. — Alan Henry, PC Magazine, 28 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for malicious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for malicious
  1. vicious
  2. cruel
  3. hateful
  4. nasty
  5. malevolent
  6. spiteful
  7. malignant
Adjective
  • Your husband merely identified the obvious, most vicious enemy of the people in straightforward terms.
    — Andy Andersen, Vulture, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Democrats have little trouble understanding that the right-wing infighting over Carlson is about whether the Republican tent, which already includes racists, nativists, and vicious Islamophobes, is also big enough to include anti-Semites.
    — Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of vicious
Adjective
  • Having Sheridan actually be a cruel person was one of the key audience expectations the writer-director hoped to flip in the pursuit of laughs.
    — William Earl, Variety, 28 Aug. 2026
  • But Triage does have a moment in which an ember of the old cruel optimism flickers.
    — Charles Finch, The Atlantic, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of cruel
Adjective
  • Yiannopoulos’ acerbic and at times hateful speech attracted the fury of students who argued his views should not be platformed.
    — Eduardo Cuevas, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Grabs a ketchup bottle and garnishes his face, before squirting mustard into his hateful, piggish eyes.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of hateful
Adjective
  • Fatu hit a nasty flying Samoan Spike on D’Angelo and pinned him.
    — Ryan Gaydos OutKick, FOXNews.com, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Unglazed Ceramic And Stoneware A beautiful stoneware or ceramic dish can leave nasty scratches on your stovetop’s surface.
    — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of nasty
Adjective
  • Erika looks on with the malevolent bemusement of a college cheerleader coming back to homecoming to judge her old high school squad.
    — Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 24 Aug. 2026
  • In other cases Hoodoo was used to counter the threat of curses, as in the practice of suspending bottles from a tree to trap any malevolent spirits or witches traveling in spirit form.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of malevolent
Adjective
  • Trump won his spiteful cases against asylum seekers and Haitian and Syrian immigrants.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Everyone has an acid tongue and brims with spiteful resentment.
    — The Week US, TheWeek, 27 May 2026
Definition of spiteful
Adjective
  • Alcohol played a major role in deaths from malignant tumors in the head and neck, including lip, oral cavity, pharynx, larynx and cancer of the esophagus.
    — Sandee LaMotte, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Amabile revealed in July that he was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor after receiving results from an MRI.
    — Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of malignant

Browse Nearby Words

malice
malicious
maliciously
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Malicious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/malicious. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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