MALICIOUS Synonyms: 88 Similar and Opposite Words

malicious

adjective

mə-ˈli-shəs

Definition of malicious

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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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 After engaging with the box, the user sees a line of text, often obscured in a way to mask any malicious commands. — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 11 Sep. 2026 The rap star has a malicious prosecution case pending against the lawyer in federal court in New York. — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 11 Sep. 2026 Jacob Klein, Anthropic’s head of threat intelligence, told The New York Times that the situation rarely involves obvious declarations of malicious intent. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 10 Sep. 2026 The company has issued three prior threat assessments detailing malicious uses of AI. — ABC News, 10 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for malicious

Recent Examples of Synonyms for malicious

Adjective

The former is a liberal democracy, the latter a vicious dictatorship whose rulers kill their own people to stay in power.

— Max Boot, Washington Post, 14 Sep. 2026
Even fluffy Alana looks at him strangely — in heat and vicious.

— David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of vicious

Adjective

Like her, Americans are also so tired of being screwed by an administration that’s not only grossly incompetent and cruel but corrupt as well.

— Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 6 Sep. 2026
Rather than heroic, these costly and horribly uncertain stunts come across callous and cruel.

— Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of cruel

Adjective

Mary Petchlikoff, 69, of Dearborn, recalls mobilizing on 9/11 to help protect Muslim students who were starting to receive some hateful harassment.

— Niraj Warikoo, Freep.com, 12 Sep. 2026
Some critics predicted Mohammed would use a trial as a platform to spread hateful views of America and its allies.

— ABC News, ABC News, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of hateful

Adjective

And then on Sunday, next to Granada’s imposing Alhambra fortress, Kuss — providing there are no nasty surprises — will complete his third Grand Tour in a row.

— Chris Marshall-Bell, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
In his nasty hands, every canvas was an indictment, a history painting with its gloves off.

— Jerry Saltz, Vulture, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of nasty

Adjective

Today the danger is swarms of malevolent AI agents, the CEOs in question run frontier labs, and legal niggling risks holding up an urgent safety conversation.

— Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 17 Sep. 2026
If only professional old salt Wyck (Stephen Root) would quit with the doomsday prophecies about the fog being a sign of the island waking from malevolent slumber.

— Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of malevolent

Adjective

Cox’s film is biased in Bill’s favor, portraying him as a lapdog whose love for this screeching, spiteful, beady-eyed woman is his great tragic flaw.

— Katie Rife, IndieWire, 14 Sep. 2026
Their movements become more spiteful than woo-woo, more sculpture than painting, more an argument than an idle thought.

— Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2026

Definition of spiteful

Adjective

The analysis also revealed significant stroke risk elevations for adults diagnosed with bladder, stomach, and liver cancers, as well as myeloid leukemia and malignant brain and nervous system tumors.

— Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 9 Sep. 2026
Perhaps the most intriguing risk factor for psychopathology gleaned from clinical psychological science, and one that is particularly relevant to the assessment and treatment of postpartum psychopathology, is malignant self-criticism.

— Torie Bosch, STAT, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of malignant

Browse Nearby Words

malice

malicious

maliciously

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“Malicious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/malicious. Accessed 21 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of malicious

adjective

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