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 The indictment, filed at the Beersheba District Court, also includes charges of armed trespassing and malicious property damage. — Kara Fox, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026 In one case, an agent created fake online identities to pressure a person to approve use of malicious code. — ABC News, 6 Aug. 2026 In 2021, researchers discovered ILObleed, a malicious implant that infected HPE servers with wiper firmware that destroyed data stored on hard drives. — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 5 Aug. 2026 Opening the file gives the malicious program a chance to run. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 5 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
  • And on the other side of the ball, this defense has a chance to be downright vicious.
    — Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Heidegger, the philosopher of authenticity and independent thought, had become one of them, surrendering to vicious political cant.
    — David Denby, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of vicious
Adjective
  • Impermanence turns out to be the cruelest fact and the most merciful one at once.
    — Dr. Lucy McBride, Time, 8 Aug. 2026
  • His central characters can be nasty, disgusting, violent, hysterically cruel, and passionately consumed.
    — CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of cruel
Adjective
  • When Rodrigo, Perry, Grande, and Kahan made public comments, spokespeople for the White House used the opportunity to spread hateful rhetoric.
    — Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Without human oversight, AI can end up penalizing the very communities most vulnerable to the hateful content the systems are designed to combat.
    — Scharon Harding, ArsTechnica, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of hateful
Adjective
  • Her boyfriend is nasty Sebastiano’s older soldier son Michelangelo (Lorenzo Richelmy), a true chip off the old block.
    — Jay Weissberg, Variety, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Beyond those obvious impediments, Elkins was coming off a nasty stoppage loss in his previous fight against Julian Erosa at UFC 314 in April 2025.
    — Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of nasty
Adjective
  • The Gwi Realm is a desolate, crimson wasteland littered with malevolent presence, so naturally there have been comparisons to that other little Netflix show called Stranger Things.
    — Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
  • Peter Gosselin Washington Moyn’s article and the accompanying cover photograph—showing old people as malevolent and evil—were not up to the usual standards of Harper’s Magazine.
    — Peter Gosselin, Harpers Magazine, 30 June 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
  • Trump obsessed, and is likely still obsessing about a malignant Chinese origin for the coronavirus.
    — Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 3 Aug. 2026
  • The patient was selected because his condition, unlike cancers such as leukemia, did not carry the risk of reimplanting malignant cells along with the transplant that could lead to a recurrence.
    — Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 23 July 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 15 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of malicious for Spanish Speakers

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