as in villainously
in a mean or spiteful manner
maliciously tried to ruin her reputation
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Recent Examples of maliciously
Joshua Booth, 51, was charged with one count of willfully or maliciously torture, maim or mutilate an animal kept for companionship or pleasure causing death, a category B felony under Nevada law, according to the Clark County District Attorney's Office.
—
James Powel, USA Today, 15 May 2026
Are there reliable technical solutions that could keep AI from being used maliciously?
—Ahmed Hamza, The Conversation, 5 May 2026
Meanwhile, the average time between an attacker first gaining access to a system and acting maliciously fell to 29 minutes last year, a 65 percent acceleration from 2024.
—ArsTechnica, 20 Apr. 2026
Our policy is—and has long been—that team members are only responsible for paying for personal protective equipment if the equipment is lost or maliciously damaged.
—Dillon Thomas, CBS News, 15 Apr. 2026
Ultimately, the risk is not that AI agents will behave maliciously.
—Dan Mountstephen, Fortune, 13 Apr. 2026
The league maliciously refuses to act like a nice, friendly bank and give us overdraft privileges.
—Inga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Apr. 2026
Those labs have put guardrails in place to prevent their models from creating software that can be used maliciously.
—Huo Jingnan, NPR, 11 Apr. 2026
This may have been maliciously organized by the Department of Homeland Security to drive home a point.
—David Frum, The Atlantic, 11 Mar. 2026
James Powel, USA Today, 15 May 2026
Are there reliable technical solutions that could keep AI from being used maliciously?
—Ahmed Hamza, The Conversation, 5 May 2026
Meanwhile, the average time between an attacker first gaining access to a system and acting maliciously fell to 29 minutes last year, a 65 percent acceleration from 2024.
—ArsTechnica, 20 Apr. 2026
Our policy is—and has long been—that team members are only responsible for paying for personal protective equipment if the equipment is lost or maliciously damaged.
—Dillon Thomas, CBS News, 15 Apr. 2026
Ultimately, the risk is not that AI agents will behave maliciously.
—Dan Mountstephen, Fortune, 13 Apr. 2026
The league maliciously refuses to act like a nice, friendly bank and give us overdraft privileges.
—Inga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Apr. 2026
Those labs have put guardrails in place to prevent their models from creating software that can be used maliciously.
—Huo Jingnan, NPR, 11 Apr. 2026
This may have been maliciously organized by the Department of Homeland Security to drive home a point.
—David Frum, The Atlantic, 11 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for maliciously
Adverb
-
In other words, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you.—
Derek Robertson,
The Washington Examiner,
8 Aug. 2025
Adverb
-
Young mother Rachel Nickell is brutally murdered in her own home, stabbed with scissors so viciously that a blade gets lodged in her skull.—
K. Thor Jensen,
PC Magazine,
29 May 2026
-
The marchers were viciously beaten by Alabama state troopers; Lewis suffered a skull fracture and was nearly killed.—
Jemele Hill,
The Atlantic,
21 May 2026
Adverb
-
After Adele and her mother had fought, bitterly, about her decision to keep the baby, and then more bitterly about her refusal to find Jamie in Florida and demand child support, Bromley invited her to live with him while things cooled down at home.—
Jonathan Franzen,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
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During the Nullification Crisis of 1831–1833, partisan journalists had a major role in framing the issue and were bitterly opposed to one another, especially in South Carolina.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
26 May 2026
Adverb
-
Images of Labubus beamed malevolently from their packaging, as if gloating in their unreachability.—
Kyle Chayka,
New Yorker,
20 Aug. 2025
Adverb
-
Richard is so gifted, whip smart, and wickedly funny.—
Ellise Shafer,
Variety,
17 Apr. 2026
-
The resistance to public disclosure has been wickedly unrelenting, overcome only by an act of Congress last year.—
Kevin Rennie,
Hartford Courant,
7 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Maliciously.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/maliciously. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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