malice

C2 Topic:Senses & Perception

US /ˈmælɪs/ See IPA manual

Freq #16612

Meanings

1

noun
The desire to harm others or to see them suffer.

There was real malice in the way he spoke to her.
2

noun
The deliberate intention to do harm, especially as a factor in a crime.

The court had to decide whether the act was committed with malice.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the desire to harm others... ill willspitespitefulnessvenommaliciousness

2 noun · the deliberate intention to... malevolence

Word family

Derived forms malicefulmalicelessmalicious

Related forms malady

Etymology

From Middle English malice, borrowed from Old French malice, from Latin malitia (“badness, bad quality, ill-will, spite”), from malus (“bad”).

malice Middle English malitia Latin

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# malice

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈmælɪs/
**Frequency rank:** 16612

## Meanings
1. The desire to harm others or to see them suffer.
2. The deliberate intention to do harm, especially as a factor in a crime.

## Examples
- There was real malice in the way he spoke to her.
- The court had to decide whether the act was committed with malice.

## Derived Forms
- maliceful
- maliceless
- malicious

## Related Forms
- malady

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: malice
- Root: malitia

## Etymology
From Middle English malice, borrowed from Old French malice, from Latin malitia (“badness, bad quality, ill-will, spite”), from malus (“bad”).

## AI Etymology
Malice is from Middle English malice, borrowed from Old French malice, from Latin malitia (“badness, bad quality, ill-will, spite”), from malus (“bad”). Important recorded forms include malice (Middle English), malice (Old French), and malitia (Latin). Current senses include the desire to harm others or to see them suffer and the deliberate intention to do harm, especially as a factor in a crime. The wider family includes derived forms such as maliceful, maliceless, and malicious; related words such as malady.

## Topics
- Senses & Perception

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malice

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