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
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Recent Examples of malicious
In 2023, Jalloh was sentenced to seven years in prison for malicious wounding, with five of those years suspended.
—
Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 9 Mar. 2026
Wiemerslage was sentenced to 90 days in jail after pleading guilty to one count each of malicious punishment of a child and third-degree assault.
—Wcco Staff, CBS News, 8 Mar. 2026
In May, Wiemerslage, 24, of Coon Rapids, was sentenced to 90 days in jail and five years’ probation after pleading guilty to aiding and abetting third-degree assault and aiding and abetting malicious punishment of a child.
—Nick Ferraro, Twin Cities, 6 Mar. 2026
Schmidt warned at a conference in October that AI models are susceptible to hacking for malicious purposes.
—Hayley Cuccinello, CNBC, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for malicious
Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 9 Mar. 2026
Wiemerslage was sentenced to 90 days in jail after pleading guilty to one count each of malicious punishment of a child and third-degree assault.
—Wcco Staff, CBS News, 8 Mar. 2026
In May, Wiemerslage, 24, of Coon Rapids, was sentenced to 90 days in jail and five years’ probation after pleading guilty to aiding and abetting third-degree assault and aiding and abetting malicious punishment of a child.
—Nick Ferraro, Twin Cities, 6 Mar. 2026
Schmidt warned at a conference in October that AI models are susceptible to hacking for malicious purposes.
—Hayley Cuccinello, CNBC, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for malicious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for malicious
Adjective
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Ironically, that war emboldened Iran, as the vicious Iraqi strongman was a regional counterbalance to the vicious mullahs.—
Steven Greenhut,
Oc Register,
6 Mar. 2026
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The Islamic State, or ISIS, the most vicious terror group ever, found Iraq to be the perfect launching pad for its marauders.—
Nolan Finley,
Twin Cities,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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That’s the cruel beauty of golf.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
7 Mar. 2026
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Few Iranians will mourn the demise of the cruel and murderous Ayatollah Khamenei or his cohorts, and a large segment of Iranians want the corrupt religious regime gone.—
Trudy Rubin,
Twin Cities,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Columnist Joe Gerth wonders what his mother, a member of a church that stands against hateful immigration policies, thinks.—
Stephanie Stremplewski,
Louisville Courier Journal,
6 Mar. 2026
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This has allowed this unauthorized user unfettered access to those frequencies to transmit hateful and threatening messaging, potentially disrupting vital police, fire and EMS communications.—
Andy Sheehan,
CBS News,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Vonn’s hugely successful World Cup season at age 41 was ended by a nasty crash one month ago at the Milan Cortina Olympics that wrecked her left leg.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
6 Mar. 2026
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In the first inning of the club’s matchup with the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday afternoon, Sal Frelick waved haplessly at a nasty changeup from Edward Cabrera for his first strikeout of the day.—
Sahadev Sharma,
New York Times,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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This saga is almost a perfect encapsulation of the administration, which somehow manages to be both malevolent and incompetent, highly disorganized while still doing a lot of damage.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
4 Mar. 2026
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Red thread radiates from Stalin’s eyes like light from a malevolent sun, while other faces disappear behind horizontal bars of stitching, imprisoned by embroidery.—
Anel Rakhimzhanova,
Artforum,
1 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Tourette’s can feel spiteful and searches out the most upsetting tic for me personally and for those around me.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
24 Feb. 2026
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What does that mean, a spiteful number?—
Judith Shulevitz,
The Atlantic,
17 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Narratively, Daniel Craig’s returning lead Benoit Blanc takes a back pew to the conflict between a sensitive priest and a malignant monsignor who has turned away from Jesus’ teachings.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
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Over time, these polyps can become cancerous (malignant) and spread to other areas of the body.—
Alyssa Goldberg,
USA Today,
12 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Malicious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/malicious. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
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