malice

noun

mal·ice ˈma-ləs How to pronounce malice (audio)

: desire to cause pain, injury, or distress to another

an attack motivated by pure malice

: intent to commit an unlawful act or cause harm without legal justification or excuse

ruined her reputation and did it with malice

Did you know?

Malicious, Malevolent, and Malice

Malicious and malevolent are close in meaning, since both refer to ill will that desires to see someone else suffer. But while malevolent suggests deep and lasting dislike, malicious usually means petty and spiteful. Malicious gossipers are often simply envious of a neighbor's good fortune. Vandals may take malicious pleasure in destroying and defacing property but usually don't truly hate the owners. Malice is an important legal concept, which has to be proved in order to convict someone of certain crimes such as first-degree murder.

Example Sentences

All of this is about control, of course. While nicknames can just as easily be dispensed with affection as with malice, either way the practice is as stone alpha male as social interaction gets.

Garry Trudeau, Time, 12 Feb. 2001 The killer that Capote himself became—far more efficiently than Perry and Dick—when, in poisonous prose and on talk-shows, he laid waste his friends and skewered his competitors with malice as pure as the air in an oxygen tent.

Molly Haskell, New York Times Book Review, 12 June 1988 It isn't so much courage that I would need, as the patience to endure the grinding malice of bureaucratic harassment.

Alice Walker, Living by the Word, 1981 No doubt his natural floridity of face encouraged whispers, and partisan malice exaggerated them; but during the eighteen-thirties he certainly drank enough to invite the solicitude of his friends and the gibes of his enemies.

Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., The Age of Jackson, 1946 an attack motivated by pure malice She claimed that her criticisms were without malice. See More

Recent Examples on the Web The court dismissed Johnson’s suit on the grounds that in the absence of a showing of actual malice, .

Jack Greiner, The Enquirer, 12 Aug. 2022 Huntington patients often lash out physically at their caregivers — not out of malice, Benjamin Gilmer said, but because their brains are misfiring.

Gregory S. Schneider, Washington Post, 6 Aug. 2022 Many policymakers around the world assume that employees breach security rules to get back at them out of malice.

Ali Allage, Forbes, 11 July 2022 Not guilty of malice murder and he was acquitted of all charges relating to Tara's murder —convicted only of concealing her death.

Peter Van Sant, CBS News, 24 May 2022 Mengele held no pity for anyone except himself, and Guez’s noxious portrait contains no redeeming detail to dissuade us of his toxic malice.

Diane Cole, Washington Post, 18 Aug. 2022 The Monday search of Trump’s home by FBI agents has caused a political furor, with Trump and many of his Republican defenders accusing the FBI of acting out of politically motivated malice.

Anchorage Daily News, 12 Aug. 2022 The Monday search of Trump’s home by FBI agents has caused a political furor, with Trump and many of his Republican defenders accusing the FBI of acting out of politically motivated malice.

Josh Dawsey, BostonGlobe.com, 11 Aug. 2022 Science is an enterprise built on trust, and in general, scientists do not attribute to malice what could be equally well explained by ineptitude.

David Robert Grimes, The Atlantic, 29 July 2022 See More

Legal Definition

malice

noun

mal·ice ˈma-ləs How to pronounce malice (audio)

: the intention or desire to cause harm (as death, bodily injury, or property damage) to another through an unlawful or wrongful act without justification or excuse

: wanton disregard for the rights of others or for the value of human life

: an improper or evil motive or purpose

if malice cannot be proved or a benign purpose can be imagined

David Kairys

: actual malice in this entry

— actual malice

: malice proved by evidence to exist or have existed in one that inflicts unjustified harm on another: as

a : an intent to injure or kill

b : malice sense 2

called also express malice, malice in fact

a : the knowledge that defamatory statements especially regarding a public figure are false

b : reckless disregard of the truth see also public figure, New York Times Co. v. Sullivan

— implied malice

: malice inferred from the nature or consequences of a harmful act done without justification or excuse

also : malice inferred from subjective awareness of duty or of the likely results of one's act

called also legal malice, malice in law

— malice aforethought

: actual or implied malice existing in or attributed to the intention of one that injures or especially kills without justification or excuse and usually requiring some degree of deliberation or premeditation or wanton disregard for life murder is the unlawful killing of a human being, or a fetus, with malice aforethought — California Penal Code

— malice in fact

: actual malice in this entry

— malice in law

: implied malice in this entry

: feelings of ill will, spite, or revenge

Note: Such feelings are usually not an important component of malice in legal consideration unless punitive damages or actual malice is an issue.

malice

noun

as in venom

the desire to cause pain for the satisfaction of doing harm there was no reason other than pure malice to spread such disgusting lies all over campus

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

venom
maliciousness
hatefulness
hatred
cruelty
malevolence
spite
spitefulness
meanness
hostility
malignity
jealousy
contempt
viciousness
malignancy
disgust
bitterness
malignance
hate
spleen
nastiness
disdain
resentment
cattiness
despite
animosity
vindictiveness
enmity
abusiveness
rancor
antagonism
vengefulness
distaste
loathing
resentment
antipathy
grudge
abhorrence
mean-spiritedness
repugnance
jaundice
revulsion
rancor
repulsion
scorn
horror
invidiousness
abomination
bile
virulence
ill will
execration
vitriol
pique
bitchiness
bitchery
aversion
despicableness

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

passion
devotion
love
friendliness
civility
amity
hospitality
kindness
amiability
infatuation
kindliness
affection
ardor
adoration
sympathy
worship
veneration
cordiality
empathy
understanding
amicability
friendship
charity
goodwill
comity

Synonym Chooser

Some common synonyms of malice are grudge, ill will, malevolence, malignity, spite, and spleen. While all these words mean "the desire to see another experience pain, injury, or distress," malice implies a deep-seated often unexplainable desire to see another suffer.

felt no malice toward their former enemies

Although the words grudge and malice have much in common, grudge implies a harbored feeling of resentment or ill will that seeks satisfaction.

never one to harbor a grudge

In some situations, the words ill will and malice are roughly equivalent. However, ill will implies a feeling of antipathy of limited duration.

ill will provoked by a careless remark

The words malevolence and malice are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, malevolence suggests a bitter persistent hatred that is likely to be expressed in malicious conduct.

a look of dark malevolence

The words malignity and malice can be used in similar contexts, but malignity implies deep passion and relentlessness.

a life consumed by motiveless malignity

The synonyms spite and malice are sometimes interchangeable, but spite implies petty feelings of envy and resentment that are often expressed in small harassments.

petty insults inspired by spite

While the synonyms spleen and malice are close in meaning, spleen suggests the wrathful release of latent spite or persistent malice.

venting his spleen against politicians

单词	malice
释义	malice noun mal·ice ˈma-ləs 1 : desire to cause pain, injury, or distress to another an attack motivated by pure malice 2 : intent to commit an unlawful act or cause harm without legal justification or excuse ruined her reputation and did it with malice Did you know? Malicious, Malevolent, and Malice Malicious and malevolent are close in meaning, since both refer to ill will that desires to see someone else suffer. But while malevolent suggests deep and lasting dislike, malicious usually means petty and spiteful. Malicious gossipers are often simply envious of a neighbor's good fortune. Vandals may take malicious pleasure in destroying and defacing property but usually don't truly hate the owners. Malice is an important legal concept, which has to be proved in order to convict someone of certain crimes such as first-degree murder. Synonyms cattiness despite hatefulness malevolence maliciousness malignance malignancy malignity meanness nastiness spite spitefulness spleen venom viciousness See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences All of this is about control, of course. While nicknames can just as easily be dispensed with affection as with malice, either way the practice is as stone alpha male as social interaction gets. Garry Trudeau, Time, 12 Feb. 2001 The killer that Capote himself became—far more efficiently than Perry and Dick—when, in poisonous prose and on talk-shows, he laid waste his friends and skewered his competitors with malice as pure as the air in an oxygen tent. Molly Haskell, New York Times Book Review, 12 June 1988 It isn't so much courage that I would need, as the patience to endure the grinding malice of bureaucratic harassment. Alice Walker, Living by the Word, 1981 No doubt his natural floridity of face encouraged whispers, and partisan malice exaggerated them; but during the eighteen-thirties he certainly drank enough to invite the solicitude of his friends and the gibes of his enemies. Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., The Age of Jackson, 1946 an attack motivated by pure malice She claimed that her criticisms were without malice. See More Recent Examples on the Web The court dismissed Johnson’s suit on the grounds that in the absence of a showing of actual malice, . Jack Greiner, The Enquirer, 12 Aug. 2022 Huntington patients often lash out physically at their caregivers — not out of malice, Benjamin Gilmer said, but because their brains are misfiring. Gregory S. Schneider, Washington Post, 6 Aug. 2022 Many policymakers around the world assume that employees breach security rules to get back at them out of malice. Ali Allage, Forbes, 11 July 2022 Not guilty of malice murder and he was acquitted of all charges relating to Tara's murder —convicted only of concealing her death. Peter Van Sant, CBS News, 24 May 2022 Mengele held no pity for anyone except himself, and Guez’s noxious portrait contains no redeeming detail to dissuade us of his toxic malice. Diane Cole, Washington Post, 18 Aug. 2022 The Monday search of Trump’s home by FBI agents has caused a political furor, with Trump and many of his Republican defenders accusing the FBI of acting out of politically motivated malice. Anchorage Daily News, 12 Aug. 2022 The Monday search of Trump’s home by FBI agents has caused a political furor, with Trump and many of his Republican defenders accusing the FBI of acting out of politically motivated malice. Josh Dawsey, BostonGlobe.com, 11 Aug. 2022 Science is an enterprise built on trust, and in general, scientists do not attribute to malice what could be equally well explained by ineptitude. David Robert Grimes, The Atlantic, 29 July 2022 See More Word History Etymology Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin malitia, from malus bad First Known Use 14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Phrases Containing malice with malice aforethought with malice aforethought Kids Definition malice noun mal·ice ˈma-ləs : a desire to cause harm to another person Legal Definition malice noun mal·ice ˈma-ləs 1 a : the intention or desire to cause harm (as death, bodily injury, or property damage) to another through an unlawful or wrongful act without justification or excuse b : wanton disregard for the rights of others or for the value of human life c : an improper or evil motive or purpose if malice cannot be proved or a benign purpose can be imagined David Kairys d : actual malice in this entry — actual malice : malice proved by evidence to exist or have existed in one that inflicts unjustified harm on another: as a : an intent to injure or kill b : malice sense 2 called also express malice, malice in fact a : the knowledge that defamatory statements especially regarding a public figure are false b : reckless disregard of the truth see also public figure, New York Times Co. v. Sullivan — implied malice : malice inferred from the nature or consequences of a harmful act done without justification or excuse also : malice inferred from subjective awareness of duty or of the likely results of one's act called also legal malice, malice in law — malice aforethought : actual or implied malice existing in or attributed to the intention of one that injures or especially kills without justification or excuse and usually requiring some degree of deliberation or premeditation or wanton disregard for life murder is the unlawful killing of a human being, or a fetus, with malice aforethought — California Penal Code — malice in fact : actual malice in this entry — malice in law : implied malice in this entry 2 : feelings of ill will, spite, or revenge Note: Such feelings are usually not an important component of malice in legal consideration unless punitive damages or actual malice is an issue. malice noun as in venom the desire to cause pain for the satisfaction of doing harm there was no reason other than pure malice to spread such disgusting lies all over campus Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance venom maliciousness hatefulness hatred cruelty malevolence spite spitefulness meanness hostility malignity jealousy contempt viciousness malignancy disgust bitterness malignance hate spleen nastiness disdain resentment cattiness despite animosity vindictiveness enmity abusiveness rancor antagonism vengefulness distaste loathing resentment antipathy grudge abhorrence mean-spiritedness repugnance jaundice revulsion rancor repulsion scorn horror invidiousness abomination bile virulence ill will execration vitriol pique bitchiness bitchery aversion despicableness Antonyms & Near Antonyms passion devotion love friendliness civility amity hospitality kindness amiability infatuation kindliness affection ardor adoration sympathy worship veneration cordiality empathy understanding amicability friendship charity goodwill comity See More Synonym Chooser Some common synonyms of malice are grudge, ill will, malevolence, malignity, spite, and spleen. While all these words mean "the desire to see another experience pain, injury, or distress," malice implies a deep-seated often unexplainable desire to see another suffer. felt no malice toward their former enemies Although the words grudge and malice have much in common, grudge implies a harbored feeling of resentment or ill will that seeks satisfaction. never one to harbor a grudge In some situations, the words ill will and malice are roughly equivalent. However, ill will implies a feeling of antipathy of limited duration. ill will provoked by a careless remark The words malevolence and malice are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, malevolence suggests a bitter persistent hatred that is likely to be expressed in malicious conduct. a look of dark malevolence The words malignity and malice can be used in similar contexts, but malignity implies deep passion and relentlessness. a life consumed by motiveless malignity The synonyms spite and malice are sometimes interchangeable, but spite implies petty feelings of envy and resentment that are often expressed in small harassments. petty insults inspired by spite While the synonyms spleen and malice are close in meaning, spleen suggests the wrathful release of latent spite or persistent malice. venting his spleen against politicians
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malice

noun

Did you know?

Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

Phrases Containing malice

Kids Definition

noun

Legal Definition

noun

noun

Synonym Chooser