malicious

[muh-lish-uhs] / məˈlɪʃ əs /

ADJECTIVE

hateful

Synonyms

STRONGEST

malevolent malignant mischievous nasty pernicious petty spiteful vengeful venomous vicious virulent wicked

WEAK

awful bad-natured baleful beastly bitter catty cussed deleterious despiteful detrimental envious evil evil-minded green green-eyed gross ill-disposed injurious jealous low malign mean noxious ornery poisonous rancorous resentful uncool

Antonyms

STRONGEST

aiding assisting decent forgiving friendly gentle good harmless helpful kind liking loving moral nice pleasant pleasing useful

WEAK

benevolent likeable sympathetic thoughtful

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.

Patel filed a $250 million suit last month against The Atlantic magazine and the author of the article, Sarah Fitzpatrick, calling it a "sweeping, malicious, and defamatory hit piece."

From Barron's • May 6, 2026

I guess if I walk through the various checks available—One: criminal charges for malicious prosecution and other kinds of things.

From Slate • May 4, 2026

A third man, who was 19 at the time he was infected, said he had been "hurt in the most malicious way".

From BBC • Apr. 23, 2026

Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Kash Patel filed a defamation lawsuit against the Atlantic and one of its writers Monday, alleging an article about his drinking and overall conduct was malicious and factually inaccurate.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026

There was a malicious tinge to its voice now.

From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi

Vocabulary lists containing malicious

The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 2

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Fake It 'Til You Make It: Synonyms for "False"

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The New SAT: Words to Capture Tone

Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!