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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 California ruling leaves Carter’s malicious-prosecution lawsuit in New York as his remaining case against Buzbee and his firm. — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 25 Sep. 2026 Its first choice, commercial American models, had refused to analyze some of the malicious code because of their safety restrictions. — Peter Hall, Scientific American, 24 Sep. 2026 His previous charges included rape, malicious wounding, assault and theft, DHS said. — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 24 Sep. 2026 France, organized the session to address malicious use of AI and the risk of losing control of advanced models. — Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 23 Sep. 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
  • His Lamb goes from a brash Yorkshire showman to a callous profiteer of human vice and misery, his cheeky smile becoming a vicious snarl.
    — Joe Reid, Vulture, 21 Sep. 2026
  • The strikes were often most vicious in the far north of Yemen, a rebel stronghold and the region where the Houthi movement had been founded, in the nineteen-nineties.
    — Kareem Fahim, New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of vicious
Adjective
  • Bronwyn’s mother, Muzzy, who was lambasted all of last season for being cold and arguably cruel to her daughter, is notably softer in her first scene back — though the bob is as cunty as ever.
    — Tom Smyth, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2026
  • He was convicted of four counts of war crimes including murder, torture, cruel treatment and arbitrary detention.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of cruel
Adjective
  • The Ostrich Army, though, dismissed the courts as corrupt and, beginning in late January 2025, started to flood CFIA offices with hateful messages and threats.
    — J. B. MacKinnon, Harpers Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026
  • But concrete evidence of Clark fans acting in a hateful manner — at least in real time — is severely lacking.
    — Matt Calkins OutKick, FOXNews.com, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of hateful
Adjective
  • Back then, researchers were focused on eradicating the New World screwworm, a nasty pest that lays its eggs in wounds on living creatures.
    — Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Paul and Matthews have been embroiled in a nasty social media feud that sparked after ABC pulled The Bachelorette season 22.
    — Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 21 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
  • The anger leads them to Rupert, Rebecca’s forever-spiteful ex.
    — Keith Phipps, Vulture, 23 Sep. 2026
  • 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
Definition of spiteful
Adjective
  • An analysis of 1,000 tissue samples representing 11 major organs in just over 400 male donors has now delivered a clear map and expression profile of missing Y chromosomes in typical, pre-cancerous, and malignant tumors.
    — Mike McRae September 20, New Atlas, 21 Sep. 2026
  • According to the National Cancer Institute, esophageal cancer is a disease in which malignant cancer cells form in the tissues of the esophagus.
    — Angeline Jane Bernabe, ABC News, 18 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 27 Sep. 2026.

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