maliciousness

noun

as in malice
the desire to cause pain for the satisfaction of doing harm the maliciousness of some Internet trolls led the editor to start moderating comments on the site

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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 maliciousness Rather than pursuing code maliciousness, limit code behavior regarding networking calls, file accesses and memory execution. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 12 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for maliciousness
  1. malice
  2. venom
Noun
  • In October, a Newton County grand jury indicted 43-year-old Taiesha Wilson on charges of malice murder, murder, concealing the death of another, identity theft, and more.
    — Dan Raby, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Kingston Bradley of Smyrna, Georgia, was arrested and charged with concealing the death of another and malice murder in connection with Mosley’s death.
    — Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of malice
Noun
  • There’s a real opportunity in the fourth episode to do something fun, or at least interesting, when Tyson convinces Russ to join him in smoking hallucinatory toad venom, but no flair or flourishes emerge.
    — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Spiders, for instance, have muscles surrounding their venom glands, which contract and eject venom through hollow fangs.
    — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of venom

Browse Nearby Words

maliciously
maliciousness
malign
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Cite this Entry

“Maliciousness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/maliciousness. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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