Definitions

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.

On AI safety, the G7 countries acknowledged "certain risks" posed by AI and that it "may be misused by malicious actors", committing to "adopting an innovation-friendly approach to addressing these risks".

From Barron's • May 29, 2026

And criminal defendants who face less malicious prosecutors will not have as much luck at SCOTUS.

From Slate • May 28, 2026

Will Gasparino was ejected in the fourth inning for malicious contact after he was caught in a rundown and ran over an Oregon player ready to tag him out at third base.

From Los Angeles Times • May 25, 2026

A phishing email was used to launch the hack which allowed the cyber attackers to install malicious software and it remained undetected within the organisation's systems for 20 months.

From BBC • May 12, 2026

“So is Severus Snape, though he does not know it,” said Griphook, and the two goblins roared with malicious laughter.

From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling

Vocabulary lists containing malicious

The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 2

Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!

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!