malicious

Pronunciation

• IPA: /məˈlɪʃəs/
• American: muh-LISH-us

Origin

From Latin "malitiosus", derived from "malitia" (badness, ill will) and ultimately from "malus" (bad, evil)

Meanings

1. Having or showing a desire to cause harm to someone; deliberately harmful

   • "She spread malicious rumors about her coworker."

2. Intending to cause damage or trouble

   • "The hacker launched a malicious attack on the company's servers."

3. Characterized by wickedness or spite

   • "His malicious grin revealed his evil intentions."

Example Sentences

• The malicious software destroyed all the files on his computer.
• Their malicious comments hurt her feelings deeply.
• The judge found evidence of malicious intent in the defendant's actions.

Related Words

• Forms:

  • Noun: malice
  • Adverb: maliciously
  • Antonym: benevolent

• Synonyms:

  • spiteful
  • vindictive
  • cruel
  • vicious
  • wicked
  • mean-spirited

Memory Tricks

1. Break it down: "mal" (bad) + "icious" (like vicious)

   • Think: "MAL-icious = BAD-icious"

2. Associate with "mal-" words:

   • malfunction (bad function)
   • malnutrition (bad nutrition)
   • malware (bad software)

3. Remember the phrase: "Mali(cious) people have ICE in their hearts"

   • The "ice" in malicious reminds you of a cold, harmful intention