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 Rather than needing years of specialist knowledge, attackers can now use large language models to perform reconnaissance, identify weaknesses, write malicious code and map computer networks in ways that previously demanded significant expertise. — Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 10 July 2026 For John Sugar, Los Angeles is certainly starting to feel like a city of Guardian Angels — all with malicious intent. — Andy Andersen, Vulture, 10 July 2026 The Ramsey County Attorney’s Office has charged Bonnette, of Woodbury, with malicious punishment of a child. — Nick Ferraro, Twin Cities, 8 July 2026 This ability to transfer malicious prompts between models significantly increases the attack’s feasibility, Cao wrote. — Edd Gent, IEEE Spectrum, 8 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

But in one of the cruelest ironies in rock history, Berry suffered a devastating car crash not far from the actual Dead Man’s Curve in Los Angeles on April 12, 1966.

— Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 19 July 2026
In the face of climate change, such woo woo aphorisms seem ridiculous, naive, and cruel.

— Josh Fox, IndieWire, 17 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

Various types of cancer, in which malignant tumors invade surrounding tissues, contributed to between 13,000 and 20,000 deaths annually in this time frame.

— Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 3 July 2026
Asymptomatic lesions discovered incidentally in populations could also be monitored en masse to generate a robust database that would help researchers learn which types of lesions are more (or less) likely to turn malignant.

— Paul Hsieh, Forbes.com, 30 June 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 25 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of malicious

adjective

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