adjective
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characterized by malice
-
motivated by wrongful, vicious, or mischievous purposes
Other Word Forms
- maliciously adverb
- maliciousness noun
- nonmalicious adjective
- nonmaliciously adverb
- semimalicious adjective
- semimaliciously adverb
- unmalicious adjective
- unmaliciously adverb
Etymology
Origin of malicious
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English malicius, from Old French, from Latin malitiōsus; malice, -ous
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.
I am not diagnosing him or implying malicious intent, but I do believe you should be guarded.
From MarketWatch
Today AI can do deep, automated audits of software to detect malicious code that a human reviewer could miss amid millions of lines.
Look no further than iconic horror films like “Cloverfield” or “The Ring,” where glitches signify the presence of something unnatural and malicious.
Their poverty, the fruit of Salieri’s malicious ploys, tests the limits of their endurance.
From Los Angeles Times
She said she was unsure what guarantees Discord could give to users about protecting their information against hackers and "other malicious entities".
From BBC
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.
