malice
Americannoun
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desire to inflict injury, harm, or suffering on another, either because of a hostile impulse or out of deep-seated meanness.
the malice and spite of a lifelong enemy.
- Synonyms:
- rancor, bitterness, hatred, hate, venom, malevolence, enmity, animosity, spitefulness, spite, ill will
- Antonyms:
- goodwill, benevolence
-
Law. evil intent on the part of a person who commits a wrongful act injurious to others.
noun
-
the desire to do harm or mischief
-
evil intent
-
law the state of mind with which an act is committed and from which the intent to do wrong may be inferred See also malice aforethought
Related Words
See grudge.
Etymology
Origin of malice
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Old French, from Latin malitia; equivalent to mal- + -ice
Explanation
Malice is the intention to cause harm. If someone feels malice toward you, look out! They've got bad intentions. Just like the Spanish mal, this is a word for badness or evil. Malice isn't just any evil, though: it's evil done intentionally by someone seeking to do harm. People feel malice for people they hate. Malice is even stronger than spite. Out of all the emotions and thoughts you can have, malice is one of the most dangerous. Just about every villain in every movie and TV show is full of malice.
Vocabulary lists containing malice
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Take the Bad with the Good: Bene and Mal
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The Tragedy of Macbeth
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Clipse, the duo of Pusha T and his brother Malice, reunited to release “Let God Sort Em Out,” their first album in more than 15 years, and nabbed five nominations.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 7, 2025
“Not only cracking the ceiling; I feel like we kicked down the entire door,” Malice jumps in.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 20, 2025
“We had many opportunities to come back and do something, but it just wasn’t the right time,” Malice adds.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 20, 2025
But it would all come to an end in 2010, when Pusha T and Malice went their separate ways.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 20, 2025
Malcolm stared back calmly, though he felt anything but calm: if that monkey had a name, it might be Malice, he thought.
From "The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage" by Philip Pullman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
