malice

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 And a few good men and women, fighting to survive amidst all the malice and depravity. Erik Kain, Forbes, 9 Jan. 2025 Pete Hegseth, Trump’s profoundly unqualified defense secretary, made the malice clear by calling explicitly for Brown’s ouster along with that of any other officer involved with DEI. Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 25 Feb. 2025 Woe’s Hollow is where Kier Eagan first tamed the four tempers of the human soul: woe, frolic, dread, and malice. Ben Travers, IndieWire, 7 Feb. 2025 Advertisement The jury in the civil trial, heard in a Bay County, Fla., court, must determine whether CNN journalists acted with actual malice, which is defined as the publication of false information with reckless disregard of the truth. Stephen Battaglio, Los Angeles Times, 16 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for malice
Recent Examples of Synonyms for malice
Noun
  • Bioactive compounds in the venom of related species have contributed to medical advancements, including pain treatments.
    Katie Hunt, CNN, 11 Mar. 2025
  • Frog venom originated in Mexico and South America and is commonly used for ritual purposes.
    Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 11 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • What’s been really interesting to me about the Blake situation is how much of the hatred against her is coming from women.
    Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 28 Mar. 2025
  • Parents today must understand that hatred, bigotry and violence aren’t just things that children can learn directly from their upbringing.
    Mark Travers, Forbes, 24 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Kelly Walker, 29, is charged with child abuse, cruelty to animals and the killing and torture of an animal.
    Chris Spargo, People.com, 20 Mar. 2025
  • On Wednesday morning, David Reid, 28, of Winsted turned himself in at police headquarters and was arrested on an outstanding warrant charging him with one count of cruelty to animals.
    Staff report, Hartford Courant, 20 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • And in spite of early mixed reviews, it's become a staple in the rom-com canon, thanks in large part of Roberts and Gere's undeniable onscreen chemistry.
    Stephanie Sengwe, People.com, 23 Mar. 2025
  • But in spite of the Dorchester’s aforementioned experiment, Ducasse’s dining room typically sticks to the French standard.
    Hilary Armstrong, Robb Report, 22 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • At others, there are undertones of malevolence, potential violence.
    Deborah Treisman, The New Yorker, 16 Mar. 2025
  • Moreover, there are hints of malevolence at an even grander scale.
    Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 16 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • America’s first Black female doctor also faced open hostility from the white medical establishment.
    Ella Jeffries, Smithsonian Magazine, 31 Mar. 2025
  • Despite frequent instances of both sides accusing one another of violating the truce, the elusive breakthrough led to the longest cessation of hostilities since the war began, as well as the release of 33 Israelis from Hamas captivity and nearly 2,000 Palestinians from Israeli prisons.
    Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Mar. 2025
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

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Cite this Entry

“Malice.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/malice. Accessed 3 Apr. 2025.

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