Wordswarms From Years Past
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Malice definitions
MAL'ICE, n. [L.malitia, from malus, evil.] Extreme enmity of heart, or malevolence; a disposition to injure others without cause, from mere personal gratification or from a spirit of revenge; unprovoked malignity or spite.
--Nor set down aught in malice.
MAL'ICE, v.t. To regard with extreme ill will. [Not used.]
n
1: feeling a need to see others suffer [syn: malice, maliciousness, spite, spitefulness, venom]
2: the quality of threatening evil [syn: malevolence, malevolency, malice]
noun Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin malitia, from malus bad Date: 14th century 1. desire to cause pain, injury, or distress to another 2. intent to commit an unlawful act or cause harm without legal justification or excuse Synonyms: malice, malevolence, ill will, spite, malignity, spleen, grudge 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>. malevolence suggests a bitter persistent hatred that is likely to be expressed in malicious conduct <a look of dark malevolence>. ill will implies a feeling of antipathy of limited duration <ill will provoked by a careless remark>. spite implies petty feelings of envy and resentment that are often expressed in small harassments <petty insults inspired by spite>. malignity implies deep passion and relentlessness <a life consumed by motiveless malignity>. spleen suggests the wrathful release of latent spite or persistent malice <venting his spleen against politicians>. grudge implies a harbored feeling of resentment or ill will that seeks satisfaction <never one to harbor a grudge>.
n. 1 a the intention to do evil. b a desire to tease, esp. cruelly. 2 Law wrongful intention, esp. as increasing the guilt of certain offences. Phrases and idioms: malice aforethought (or prepense) Law the intention to commit a crime, esp. murder. Etymology: ME f. OF f. L malitia f. malus bad
Malice Mal"ice, n. [F. malice, fr. L. malitia, from malus bad, ill, evil, prob. orig., dirty, black; cf. Gr. ? black, Skr. mala dirt. Cf. Mauger.] 1. Enmity of heart; malevolence; ill will; a spirit delighting in harm or misfortune to another; a disposition to injure another; a malignant design of evil. ``Nor set down aught in malice.'' --Shak. Envy, hatred, and malice are three distinct passions of the mind. --Ld. Holt. 2. (Law) Any wicked or mischievous intention of the mind; a depraved inclination to mischief; an intention to vex, annoy, or injure another person, or to do a wrongful act without just cause or cause or excuse; a wanton disregard of the rights or safety of others; willfulness. Malice aforethought or prepense, malice previously and deliberately entertained. Syn: Spite; ill will; malevolence; grudge; pique; bitterness; animosity; malignity; maliciousness; rancor; virulence. Usage: See Spite. -- Malevolence, Malignity, Malignancy. Malice is a stronger word than malevolence, which may imply only a desire that evil may befall another, while malice desires, and perhaps intends, to bring it about. Malignity is intense and deepseated malice. It implies a natural delight in hating and wronging others. One who is malignant must be both malevolent and malicious; but a man may be malicious without being malignant. Proud tyrants who maliciously destroy And ride o'er ruins with malignant joy. --Somerville. in some connections, malignity seems rather more pertinently applied to a radical depravity of nature, and malignancy to indications of this depravity, in temper and conduct in particular instances. --Cogan.
Malice Mal"ice, v. t. To regard with extreme ill will. [Obs.]
Malice is behaviour that is intended to harm people or their reputations, or cause them embarrassment and upset. There was a strong current of malice in many of his portraits...
n. Malevolence, maliciousness, malignity, rancor, venom, hate, spite, ill-will, enmity, bitterness, grudge, pique.
Anglophobia, Russophobia, abhorrence, abomination, animosity, animus, antagonism, anti-Semitism, antipathy, aversion, bane, belligerence, bigotry, bile, bitchiness, bitterness, clash, clashing, collision, conflict, contention, cussedness, despite, despitefulness, detestation, devilment, devilry, deviltry, dislike, down, enmity, evil intent, execration, friction, grudge, harmfulness, hate, hatefulness, hatred, hostility, ill will, iniquitousness, invidiousness, loathing, maleficence, malevolence, malice aforethought, malice prepense, maliciousness, malignance, malignancy, malignity, meanness, misandry, misanthropy, misogyny, nastiness, noxiousness, odium, orneriness, poison, quarrelsomeness, race hatred, racism, repugnance, resentment, spite, spitefulness, spleen, umbrage, venom, vials of hate, vials of wrath, wickedness, xenophobia
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