malicious

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English

Alternative forms

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”).

Pronunciation

Adjective

malicious (comparative more malicious, superlative most malicious)

  1. Intending to do harm; characterized by spite and malice.
    Synonyms: evil, maleficent, malevolent; see also Thesaurus:evil
    He was sent off for a malicious tackle on Jones.
    • 1961 November 10, Joseph Heller, “The Soldier in White”, in Catch-22 , New York, N.Y.: Simon and Schuster, →OCLC, page 169:
      They gathered soberly in the farthest recess of the ward and gossiped about him in malicious, offended undertones, rebelling against his presence as a ghastly imposition and resenting him malevolently for the nauseating truth of which he was bright reminder.

Derived terms

Translations

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