Synonyms for malice
- noun
- verb
Most common
Synonyms by meaning
Noun
1. Malevolence — intention to harm or deprive in an illegal or immoral way. Desire to take pleasure in another's misfortune
malevolence, ill-will, malignity, hatred, animosity, enmity, rancor US, rancour UK, evil, wickedness, bitterness, hate, virulence, despite, malignancy, spleen, malevolency, hostility, resentment, antipathy, acrimony
2. Maliciousness
Verb
Definitions
- n. 1
Intention to harm or deprive in an illegal or immoral way. Desire to take pleasure in another's misfortune.
Your voice positively drips malice.
- n. 2
An intention to do injury to another party, which in many jurisdictions is a distinguishing factor between the crimes of murder and manslaughter.
- v. 1
To intend to cause harm; to bear malice.
Related words
- Word family
- maliceless malicious malady
- Phrases
- malice aforethought malice prepense
Choose the right word
Malice is a disposition or intent to injure others, for the gratification of some evil passion; malignity is intense and violent enmity, hatred, or malice.
J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)
Example sentences
- hatred Hatred is never appeased by hatred in this world.
- malevolence I will fight back against Tom's malevolence.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| malice | steady | |
| hatred | rising | |
| malevolence | rising | |
| malignity | steady |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 4 letters
- hate1, evil2, envy2
- 5 letters
- spite1, venom2
- 6 letters
- hatred2, grudge1, spleen1, enmity3, rancor2
- 7 letters
- despite2, rancour
- 8 letters
- acrimony4
- 9 letters
- hostility4, animosity5, antipathy4, virulence3, malignity
- 10 letters
- resentment3, bitterness3, wickedness3, malignancy4
- 11 letters
- malevolence, malevolency
- 12 letters
- spitefulness
- 13 letters
- maliciousness
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (evil2 = 2 syllables).