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 Feeds identify malicious IPs, malware hashes or live campaigns, but cannot tell if these reach our systems, touch critical identities or expose business dependencies. — Jonathan Stewart, Forbes.com, 5 Nov. 2026 The imposter website delivered content from the real one that added malicious JavaScript into it. — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 4 Nov. 2026 According to MotherSphere, four Javascript files for the game were modified with to contain malicious computer code. — Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 4 Nov. 2026 Even when people attempt to stay in the loop, AI agents execute so quickly that human workers often fail to spot problems or malicious requests. — Shahnaz Bashir, The Conversation, 4 Nov. 2026 See All Example Sentences for malicious

Recent Examples of Synonyms for malicious

Adjective

For the moment, Trump’s vicious bigotry has alienated most independent voters and even some Republicans.

— David Yassky, New York Daily News, 2 Nov. 2026
Outside observers described his vicious consolidation of power as an attempt to compensate for his youth, his limited political experience, and his complete lack of a military background.

— Jieun Baek, Foreign Affairs, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of vicious

Adjective

Newsom and other opponents of capital punishment have long argued that the process is costly, cruel and discriminatory, with death sentences disproportionately handed down to defendants of color.

— Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2026
In a cruel twist of fate, the back half of the trailer shows Geoff being affected by severe confusion, sitting outside his house in the cold.

— Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2026

Definition of cruel

Adjective

HinduPACT urged Hindus to remain vigilant and report any suspicious or hateful activity to local law enforcement.

— Emma Marsden, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Nov. 2026
Voters vehemently rebuked, with some important exceptions, Trump’s hateful policymaking, with Democrats taking both the house and the senate.

— Marissa R. Moss, Rolling Stone, 5 Nov. 2026

Definition of hateful

Adjective

Surely, though, it is not lost on the audience that this play opens in the middle of a strikingly nasty political campaign to elect members of the Chicago school board, warring Democrats all.

— Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 2 Nov. 2026
Someone who hung up on your problem is unlikely to listen to a nasty critique and vow to reform.

— Judith Martin, Sun Sentinel, 2 Nov. 2026

Definition of nasty

Adjective

That genre run includes one of her most recognizable roles, a maternally malevolent antagonist in David Cronenberg’s The Brood (1979).

— Kelly Martinez, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Oct. 2026
Most are somewhere between the size of a golf ball and a fist, and their only real feature is a malevolent-looking mouth armed with five overlapping teeth for grinding and shearing kelp.

— Joseph Ogilvy, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of malevolent

Adjective

It would be seen as a work of merciless autofiction in the vein of Karl Ove Knausgaard, and it would be discussed, as his books are, as aggressive, antisocial, and spiteful.

— B. D. McClay, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026
In 1932, Carlos (Milo Quifes) is a young man in Grenada at a time when Spain is lurching uncomfortably towards an ever-increasing spiteful intolerance of homosexuality.

— Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of spiteful

Adjective

His presence in government should be eradicated like a malignant tumor.

— Emily Feng, NPR, 6 Nov. 2026
In contrast to many high-income settings, children with malignant diseases such as leukemias and solid tumors represent a relatively small proportion – about 4% – of patients who would benefit from a palliative care approach.

— Emilee Flynn, The Conversation, 3 Nov. 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 11 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of malicious

adjective

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