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

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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 Anderson then filed a pro se lawsuit against Westchester County alleging malicious prosecution. — Emma Seiwell, New York Daily News, 17 July 2026 Rodriguez pleaded guilty to damaging property occupied by a foreign government, explosive materials—malicious damage to federal property, and receipt or possession of an unregistered firearm. — David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 16 July 2026 The text contains scripts that, once entered, perform malicious actions, typically by installing malware or exfiltrating sensitive data. — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 16 July 2026 Pattinson plays Antinous, the chief malicious contender for Penelope’s hand. — Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 15 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for malicious

Recent Examples of Synonyms for malicious

Adjective

Harbaugh had tense standoffs with legacy defenders Ed Reed, Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs and, during the 2012 season, held a sitdown with his players to address their vicious and personal attacks on his approach.

— Ian O'Connor, New York Times, 22 July 2026
The film also shows Maddox and her father in a vicious argument inside her car that illustrates the fracturing of their once-close bond.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 22 July 2026

Definition of vicious

Adjective

Gomez has endured a lengthy list of cruel setbacks during his 11-year Liverpool career and faces a wait to learn the extent of his latest injury.

— James Pearce, New York Times, 26 July 2026
Obsessed with recovering her fortune, Magdalen’s uses of disguise and performance become manipulative, treacherous, and even cruel.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 July 2026

Definition of cruel

Adjective

Look the steady coarsening of American civic and political culture and the ways in which the once-outrageous—the bilious, hateful rhetoric and the creeping authoritarianism—have become almost ordinary.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 July 2026
Although Fang was charged in a single incident, authorities allege the defendant was responsible for a string of hateful messages found across the Northern California campus.

— Seamus Bozeman, Los Angeles Times, 14 July 2026

Definition of hateful

Adjective

In Michigan alone, more than 7,000 have fallen ill with the nasty foodborne disease, which causes severe diarrhea, and comes from exposure to a parasite in contaminated water used to wash or irrigate crops.

— Amy Feldman, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
Europe has been consumed by a nasty fire season this year, according to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS).

— Max Saltman, CNN Money, 22 July 2026

Definition of nasty

Adjective

There’s a reason Hollywood thrives on harmless, lovable characters that turn into malevolent, even homicidal, threats.

— Roger Dooley, Forbes.com, 10 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

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
That’s the day Prigge was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor, an aggressive form of cancer.

— Amy Wenk, AJC.com, 22 July 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 28 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of malicious

adjective

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