malice

[mal-is] / ˈmæl ɪs /

NOUN

hate, vengefulness

Synonyms

STRONGEST

animosity animus antipathy bitterness enmity grudge hate hatred hostility ill will meanness rancor resentment vengefulness

STRONG

acerbity bane bile despite dirt dislike down evil hatefulness malevolence maliciousness malignance malignity mordacity poison repugnance spite spitefulness spleen umbrage venom viciousness vindictiveness

WEAK

bad blood despitefulness implacability

Antonyms

STRONGEST

friendliness friendship good will happiness kindness liking love loving respect sympathy

STRONG

morality

WEAK

benevolence thoughtfulness

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.

It emerges not from malice, but from math.

From Slate • May 22, 2026

I think none of the characters in the film do anything with any malice.

From Los Angeles Times • May 17, 2026

“But do keep at it with the fake news, actual malice standard is now what some would call a legal lay up,” he wrote.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026

US District Judge Darrin Gayles said Trump came "nowhere close" to showing the WSJ acted with actual malice towards him, which is the threshold for defamation cases in the US.

From BBC • Apr. 13, 2026

“It will be a pretty thing to tell the mistress,” Cuckoo said, then, and her eyes sparkled with malice.

From "The Good Earth" by Pearl S. Buck

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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