malice

noun

ˈma-ləs How to pronounce malice (audio)
Definition of malicenext
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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun malice differ from other similar words?

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

When is grudge a more appropriate choice than malice?

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

When is it sensible to use ill will instead of malice?

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

Where would malevolence be a reasonable alternative to malice?

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

In what contexts can malignity take the place of malice?

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

a life consumed by motiveless malignity

When would spite be a good substitute for malice?

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

When might spleen be a better fit than malice?

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

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 malice Even though arrests have been made, first-degree murder charges have been filed and the victim laid to rest, this case remains an incomprehensible display of human malice. —Matt Lavietes, NBC News, 8 Mar. 2025 These decisions weren’t made out of malice. —Michael Mina, Time, 26 Mar. 2025 The page, which remained available at the time this post went live on Ars, has no reports of malice on Virus Total. —Dan Goodin, Ars Technica, 12 Mar. 2025 Even though arrests have been made, first-degree murder charges have been filed and the victim laid to rest, this case remains an incomprehensible display of human malice. —Matt Lavietes, NBC News, 8 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for malice
Recent Examples of Synonyms for malice
  1. venom
  2. hatred
  3. cruelty
  4. spite
  5. malevolence
  6. hostility
  7. malignity
Noun
  • Chung also used a powerful MRI scanner to produce images of the octopuses’ brains and internal organs, discovering that the males had larger venom glands than females despite their smaller size.
    — Jack Guy, CNN, 13 Mar. 2025
  • Once the venom wore off, the females merely forced the males away, with all six females surviving to lay their eggs.
    — Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 12 Mar. 2025
Definition of venom
Noun
  • In fact, her personal hatred of gripping challenges even served as her Survivor hot take below.
    — Dalton Ross, EW.com, 10 Apr. 2025
  • That ecstatic communal experience is a glorious moment of freedom for oppressed people, most of them living hand-to-mouth in an environment of hatred and exploitation.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 10 Apr. 2025
Definition of hatred
Noun
  • Woodland police detectives on Tuesday arrested Christian Jacobo, 22, on suspicion of murder and willful cruelty toward a child causing death, police officials said in a Friday news release.
    — Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 11 Apr. 2025
  • But what’s even creepier is Remmick’s invitation to the holdouts to join them, promising an escape from dehumanizing cruelty into a fellowship that offers an eternal life of freedom and enlightenment.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 10 Apr. 2025
Definition of cruelty
Noun
  • In spite of that, Alexander said, intentional misinformation has been circulating that Anthony’s family had bought a new home with the funds raised and was living in luxury.
    — Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Apr. 2025
  • As a result, in spite of the boycott all matches were well attended.
    — Tim Genske, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2025
Definition of spite
Noun
  • At others, there are undertones of malevolence, potential violence.
    — Deborah Treisman, The New Yorker, 16 Mar. 2025
  • Or in the case of Polanski’s, of the Hey-nothing-personal malevolence of late-model capitalism?
    — Jim Shepard, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2025
Definition of malevolence
Noun
  • Stolarz’s inclination to shout instructions at teammates on the ice, often with serious levels of hostility in the name of competition, comes to him naturally.
    — Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2025
  • Datta writes that Indians had faced violent treatment at the hands of Japanese forces, even if the Chinese community bore the brunt of the Japanese hostility.
    — H.M.A. Leow, JSTOR Daily, 7 Apr. 2025
Definition of hostility
Noun
  • His Cyrano is the play’s hero, even if the character’s psychological limitations are as much a factor in the story as the machinations of De Guiche, whose malignity is sent up in Nathanson’s flamboyantly comic turn.
    — Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2024
  • For a decade, the central drama of Trumpism has concerned the Republican élites who continued to support him—the story has been about their malignity, or opportunism, or willful moral blindness.
    — Benjamin Wallace-Wells, The New Yorker, 16 Sep. 2023
Definition of malignity

Browse Nearby Words

malfunctions
malice
malicious
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Cite this Entry

“Malice.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/malice. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.

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