First Known Use: 13th century
Dictionary
malicious
adjective ma·li·cious \mə-ˈli-shəs\
: having or showing a desire to cause harm to another person : having or showing malice
Full Definition of MALICIOUS
: having or showing a desire to cause harm to someone : given to, marked by, or arising from malice <malicious gossip>
— ma·li·cious·ly adverb
— ma·li·cious·ness noun
See malicious defined for English-language learners
See malicious defined for kids
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Examples of MALICIOUS
- … she is an inspired hater, and thrills to malicious descriptions of long-forgotten, nameless individuals whose bad luck it was to live near her, or to have met her socially. —Joyce Carol Oates, New York Times Book Review, 5 Nov. 2000
- A cunning and malicious crook who suckered him without half trying. —Philip Roth, American Pastoral, 1997
- Frank sensed her discomfort and took a certain malicious pleasure in it, enacting all the while his perfect innocence. —John Updike, The Afterlife, 1994
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Origin of MALICIOUS
(see malice)
Related to MALICIOUS
- Synonyms
- bad [slang], bitchy, catty, cruel, despiteful, malevolent, hateful, malign, malignant, mean, nasty, spiteful, vicious, virulent
- Antonyms
- benevolent, benign, benignant, loving, unmalicious
Other Legal Terms
Rhymes with MALICIOUS
MALICIOUSNESS Defined for Kids
malicious
adjective ma·li·cious \mə-ˈli-shəs\
Definition of MALICIOUS for Kids
: feeling or showing a desire to cause harm to another person <malicious gossip>
— ma·li·cious·ly adverb
Learn More About MALICIOUS
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