English Explanatory Dictionary

malicious

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adj

Intending to do harm; characterized by spite and malice.

Pronunciation

məlĭsh'əs /məˈlɪʃəs/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-malicious.wav

Word forms

malicious more malicious most malicious malitious

Etymology

From Middle English malicious, from Old French malicios, from Latin malitiōsus, from malitia (“malice”), from malus (“bad”). Displaced native Middle English ivelwilled and ivelwilly (“malicious”), related to Old English yfelwillende (literally “evil-willing”). By surface analysis, malice + -ious.

Synonyms

evil maleficent malevolent abandoned arrant bad bad apple bad seed baleful scurrilous baneful base black-hearted dark deleterious demonic depraved despicable detrimental devilish diabolical evil-minded facinorous flagitious harmful heinous ill-intentioned ill-natured immoral incorrigible iniquitous iniquous injurious knavish malefic malicious malign malignant naughty nefarious niddering nidering niding nithing no-good peccaminous pernicious reprehensible reprobate satanic scathful sinful sinister sordid sullen ungodly unholy vicious vile villainous

Derived words

malicious compliance maliciously malicious mischief maliciousness malicious prosecution malvertisement malvertising malware nonmalicious unmalicious

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