malicious

[ muh-lish-uhs ]

/ məˈlɪʃ əs /

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See synonyms for: malicious / maliciously / maliciousness on Thesaurus.com

adjective

full of, characterized by, or showing malice; intentionally harmful; spiteful: malicious gossip.

Law. vicious, wanton, or mischievous in motivation or purpose.

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Origin of malicious

1175–1225; Middle English malicius<Old French <Latin malitiōsus.See malice, -ous

OTHER WORDS FROM malicious

ma·li·cious·ly, adverbma·li·cious·ness, nounnon·ma·li·cious, adjectivenon·ma·li·cious·ly, adverb

non·ma·li·cious·ness, nounsem·i·ma·li·cious, adjectivesem·i·ma·li·cious·ly, adverbsem·i·ma·li·cious·ness, nounun·ma·li·cious, adjectiveun·ma·li·cious·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use malicious in a sentence

In August, he revealed details of an Android vulnerability that allowed malicious apps to steal sensitive user data from other apps on the same device.
Mobile security startup Oversecured launches after self-funding $1 million, thanks to bug bounty payouts|Zack Whittaker|November 12, 2020|TechCrunch
An earthquake or even a “malicious actor” could cause damage to the pylons and attached tubes.
The first hyperloop passengers just took a short but important ride|Rob Verger|November 11, 2020|Popular-Science
The 39-year-old City of Fairfax man was arrested and charged with two counts of malicious wounding.
Fairfax County crime report||November 11, 2020|Washington Post
ZoomOpener bypassed a protocol designed to protect Mac users who click on malicious links.
Zoom settles FTC case accusing it of privacy missteps with no fine|dzanemorris|November 9, 2020|Fortune

It gives election officials more time to deal with both normal mistakes and malicious attacks, and any problems that do arise affect fewer voters.
It might not feel like it, but the election is working|Bobbie Johnson|November 6, 2020|MIT Technology Review

British Dictionary definitions for malicious

malicious

/ (məˈlɪʃəs) /

adjective

characterized by malice

motivated by wrongful, vicious, or mischievous purposes

Derived forms of malicious

maliciously, adverbmaliciousness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

malicious

Origin of malicious

OTHER WORDS FROM malicious

Words related to malicious

How to use malicious in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for malicious

Derived forms of malicious