as in vicious
having or showing a desire to cause someone pain or suffering for the sheer enjoyment of it
the neighborhood chatterbox has again been spreading malicious gossip
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of malicious
Victims merely needed to click a malicious link in the emails for the attack to execute.
—
Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 27 Mar. 2025
That’s the root of the concern of the commercial spyware industry, in which companies lease powerful malicious software, like Pegasus, that hacks entire phones.
—Kevin Collier, NBC news, 26 Mar. 2025
These messages often promise large refunds or threaten legal action to trick taxpayers into clicking malicious links.
—Paul Du Quenoy, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Mar. 2025
These methods can easily miss deeper behavioral indicators that would signal a malicious payload lurking beneath the surface.
—Alex Vakulov, Forbes, 23 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for malicious
Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 27 Mar. 2025
That’s the root of the concern of the commercial spyware industry, in which companies lease powerful malicious software, like Pegasus, that hacks entire phones.
—Kevin Collier, NBC news, 26 Mar. 2025
These messages often promise large refunds or threaten legal action to trick taxpayers into clicking malicious links.
—Paul Du Quenoy, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Mar. 2025
These methods can easily miss deeper behavioral indicators that would signal a malicious payload lurking beneath the surface.
—Alex Vakulov, Forbes, 23 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for malicious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for malicious
Adjective
-
Softened by pride, Amber slinks away herself, albeit much more cutely than Gregory and accompanied by a vicious side-eye.—
Ile-Ife Okantah,
Vulture,
3 Apr. 2025
-
The Kansas City Glory’s season opener was set to begin on Saturday afternoon, but viral sensation Elena Easley was sitting on the field, experiencing a vicious headache.—
PJ Green,
Kansas City Star,
30 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
What's particularly cruel about that reality is that after years of dealing with questions about his weight, the former Duke Blue Devil star played a career-high 70 games in 2023-24.—
Bobby Krivitsky,
Forbes.com,
1 Apr. 2025
-
Here, Munir may be vaccinating chickens rather than grabbing them on their way to slaughter, but the work is just as thankless and cruel.—
Bartolomeo Sala,
The Dial,
27 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Maryland’s Salvadoran community relives surge in hateful rhetoric When a wave of Salvadorans first migrated to Maryland, there was a stereotype that they were affiliated with gangs like MS-13, Perez said.—
Polo Sandoval,
CNN Money,
4 Apr. 2025
-
Utah has become a hateful place, guest columnist ML Cavanaugh writes.—
Ryan Fonseca,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
His other performances included as Robert De Niro’s nasty henchman in Michael Mann’s Heat (1995); as Marlon Brando’s insane assistant in John Frankenheimer’s The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996) and as the suave crook Simon Templar in Phillip Noyce’s The Saint (1997).—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
2 Apr. 2025
-
The veteran forward took a nasty fall with 3:21 left in the fourth quarter, landed hard on his tailbone, and spent minutes down on the court surrounded by teammates and coaches.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
30 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Legacy ended with Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund), son of Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) from the original film, preventing the digital world from bleeding into the real world, as planned by the Grid's malevolent ruling program, Clu.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
5 Apr. 2025
-
The reality is that there are malevolent elites who exist—individuals who seek to consolidate their power and wealth by dismantling the state, the very system of laws and accountability that once kept them in check.—
Jason D. Greenblatt,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Several diss tracks followed, with the musicians hurling increasingly spiteful insults at each other relating to accusations of domestic abuse, exploitation and pedophilia.—
Winston Cho,
The Hollywood Reporter,
17 Mar. 2025
-
The more spiteful Drake could smell a world of buff, misogynistic grifters taking hold and made sure to set up shop where the audience would be.—
Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
7 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Glioblastoma is the most common type of malignant brain tumor.—
Jon Hamilton,
NPR,
25 Mar. 2025
-
Love's death was announced by her family on Sunday, March 23, in a post on X. Love, the first Black Republican woman elected to Congress, was diagnosed with glioblastoma, a malignant brain tumor, in 2022.—
Meredith Kile,
People.com,
24 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Malicious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/malicious. Accessed 14 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share