as in malice
the desire to cause pain for the satisfaction of doing harm
the maliciousness of some Internet trolls led the editor to start moderating comments on the site
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for maliciousness
Noun
-
Jurors found that Grossman and Erickson both acted with conscious disregard for the boys' safety and malice, thereby awarding punitive damages in the wrongful death lawsuit.—
Julie Sharp,
CBS News,
10 June 2026 -
Jurors decided that Grossman acted with malice and oppression and Erickson acted with malice, oppression, or fraud, kicking off the punitive phase of the trial.—
Richard Winton,
Los Angeles Times,
10 June 2026
Noun
-
Mark the edge of the swelling on the bite and make note of the time — the spread from the original mark can indicate how fast the venom is spreading.—
Sophie Lindberg,
Kansas City Star,
10 June 2026
-
The captain backed off, but Curry never forgot the look in his eyes, or the venom in his voice.—
Clint Smith,
The Atlantic,
9 June 2026
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.
Cite this Entry
“Maliciousness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/maliciousness. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
