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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of malicious
Nathaniel Dupler, no address given, malicious destruction of property over $1,200.
—
Matthew Medsger, Boston Herald, 30 Sep. 2025
Hamlin didn’t do anything malicious.
—Jeff Gluck, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
Kramer said police are investigating the incident as malicious harassment.
—Sally Krutzig, Idaho Statesman, 28 Sep. 2025
Alexander Lewis, 32, faces charges of disturbing schools and malicious injury to property after allegedly using a spray designed to mimic the smell of feces.
—Chris Stirewalt, The Hill, 26 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for malicious
Matthew Medsger, Boston Herald, 30 Sep. 2025
Hamlin didn’t do anything malicious.
—Jeff Gluck, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
Kramer said police are investigating the incident as malicious harassment.
—Sally Krutzig, Idaho Statesman, 28 Sep. 2025
Alexander Lewis, 32, faces charges of disturbing schools and malicious injury to property after allegedly using a spray designed to mimic the smell of feces.
—Chris Stirewalt, The Hill, 26 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for malicious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for malicious
Adjective
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This pervasive fragmentation creates a vicious cycle.—
Emeka Ajene,
semafor.com,
29 Sep. 2025
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Two officers responded and learned the teen had barricaded himself inside the upper unit of the duplex with several vicious dogs, according to a search warrant.—
Chris Ramirez,
jsonline.com,
25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
That’s actually the cruelest thing about them.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
3 Oct. 2025
-
The cold on August 27, 2011, was unprecedented—unbridled, utterly cruel.—
Mariana Enriquez
October 2,
Literary Hub,
2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The show follows Ed Gein (Charlie Hunnam), an unassuming and odd man, working his family’s farm under the watchful eye of his hateful and vicious mother, Augusta (Laurie Metcalf).—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
3 Oct. 2025
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The student saw the hateful image and captured a photo from above.—
Karen Billing,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Big, nasty and physical, Kalani Sitake’s bunch controls the ball on offense and gets it back quickly on defense.—
Kyle Newman,
Denver Post,
26 Sep. 2025
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Chad Powers’ nasty protagonist should give it license to be more cutting, rather than just unimaginatively crude, in its humor.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
26 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Elsewhere, a strange new trend has started, seeing users stitch together clips of Jeremiah from various episodes into horror film-like videos, driving home the message that this is not just another cute, curly-haired college student but a malevolent Disney villain.—
Olivia Petter,
Vogue,
16 Sep. 2025
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Legacy ended with Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund), son of Kevin Flynn, preventing the digital world from bleeding into the real world, as planned by the Grid's malevolent ruling program, Clu.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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They were clouded by an entire era of underperformance, tough luck and spiteful ownership.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
13 Sep. 2025
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Being consumed by negative emotions like envy or engaging in spiteful behavior does nobody any good.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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There is no predicting what joke might set off this particular malignant narcissist in chief, so really, who’s to say who is next?—
Lizz Winstead,
Time,
27 Sep. 2025
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Isabella received her diagnosis in October 2023 and underwent emergency surgery to remove a large medulloblastoma — a type of malignant tumor — in her cerebellum.—
Vanessa Etienne,
PEOPLE,
22 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Malicious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/malicious. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
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