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
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Recent Examples of malicious
To be sure, this report, written under the guise of international law and human rights, is utterly baseless, replete with malicious lies and gross distortions of fact, as well as wholesale fabrications of law.
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Jason Fields, Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2024
Two months after the initial report of the hack, malicious actors may still be able to gain access to sensitive information about Americans’ communications from the telecom networks.
—Lauren Feiner, The Verge, 4 Dec. 2024
Some of those difficulties were depicted in a recent exhibition of his paintings at Idyllwild Arts School in California, where among other painful incidents, he was left behind in freezing weather miles from home by his brother in a malicious prank.
—Debra Utacia Krol, USA TODAY, 2 Dec. 2024
The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links is to have antivirus software installed on all your devices.
—Kurt Knutsson, Cyberguy Report, Fox News, 28 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for malicious 
Jason Fields, Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2024
Two months after the initial report of the hack, malicious actors may still be able to gain access to sensitive information about Americans’ communications from the telecom networks.
—Lauren Feiner, The Verge, 4 Dec. 2024
Some of those difficulties were depicted in a recent exhibition of his paintings at Idyllwild Arts School in California, where among other painful incidents, he was left behind in freezing weather miles from home by his brother in a malicious prank.
—Debra Utacia Krol, USA TODAY, 2 Dec. 2024
The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links is to have antivirus software installed on all your devices.
—Kurt Knutsson, Cyberguy Report, Fox News, 28 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for malicious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for malicious
Adjective
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That was confirmed by his patron in Moscow, which supported the regime in crushing what started as a peaceful protest movement during the Arab Spring and became a vicious civil war that killed hundreds of thousands and sparked a refugee crisis.Elizabeth Both, NBC News, 9 Dec. 2024
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Its main proxy, Hezbollah, was crippled by a pager attack on its hierarchy, and then by weeks of vicious airstrikes.Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, 7 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Snape is the cruel but complex potions master at Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry, played by Alan Rickman in all seven Harry Potter films.Jason Fields, Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2024
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In season 2, a cruel winter brings new challenges and unfinished business to the Dutton ranch.Christian Holub, EW.com, 5 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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The Center for Countering Digital Hate recently said that X failed to remove nearly 86% of 300 hateful posts a week after the organization reported them.Thomas Brewster, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024
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Finally, there’s the late-to-the-party Johnny (Christopher Sears), a free-spirited recovering heroin addict who brings along his fellow 12-stepper Loren (Barbie Ferreira), the outsider and truth-teller whose appalled at the hateful religious vitriol spewed by Diana.Greg Evans, Deadline, 12 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Wireless Humidifier Another Healthy Home Awards winner, this portable humidifier can sit on top of their desk or nightstand to hydrate dry skin (or help a cold feel a little less nasty).Jessica Kasparian, SELF, 10 Dec. 2024
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Threat researchers have confirmed that a nasty new scam that targets macOS users is being actively exploited by hackers looking to get victims to download malware that will attempt to steal passwords from the keychain as well as through the Chrome, Bravo and Vivaldi web browsers manage others.Davey Winder, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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The threats to humankind’s empire are many: traitors driven by the fires of ambition, alien empires sworn to reclaim the stars and the corruption of reality by malevolent gods.Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 10 Dec. 2024
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The 2017 film from director Nikolaj Arcel introduces audiences to Jake Chambers (Tom Taylor), a troubled teenager plagued by visions of a mysterious tower, a malevolent sorcerer and a lone gunslinger.Travis Bean, Forbes, 7 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Biden has the historic opportunity to spare countless Americans from the fear of retaliation by a spiteful bully.Pierce O'Donnell, The Mercury News, 12 Dec. 2024
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Also, Philip Seymour Hoffman, whose memorably spiteful villain is an IMAX-sized testament to the late actor’s talent.David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 19 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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She’s also undergone 30 cryogenic lung ablations—a procedure in which a radiologist uses a needle-like probe to freeze malignant tumors off the lungs.Julia Ries, SELF, 4 Dec. 2024
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While the diverse kinds of grants from the Institute of Museum and Library Services or Energy Department loan programs may not immediately seem representative of the sub-regulatory decrees that irk industry, increasingly the malignant materiality and significance of grants deserve more attention.Clyde Wayne Crews Jr., Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near malicious
Cite this Entry
“Malicious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/malicious. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
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