malice meaning: definition, etymology and quotations

malice

noun

/ˈmælɪs/

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

Usually Intention to harm or deprive in an illegal or immoral way. Desire to take pleasure in another's misfortune.

Your voice positively drips malice.
[…] not only was there no gratitude (which he could psychologically handle) but downright malice showed itself instead.1981, Philip K. Dick, Valis, →ISBN, page 67:

1 more example

without the slightest flutter of malice in her round face.2015, Catherynne M. Valente, The Boy Who Lost Fairyland, Feiwel & Friends, page 215:

Law Usually An intention to do injury to another party, which in many jurisdictions is a distinguishing factor between the crimes of murder and manslaughter.

The question that would have been before the jury was whether Fox committed “actual malice” in airing the claims. That required Dominion to show whether key decision makers were aware the claims were false or acted with reckless disregard for the truth.2023 April 18, Sam Levine, Kira Lerner, “Fox and Dominion settle for US$787.5m in defamation lawsuit over election lies”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:

Derived terms: actual malice, constructive malice, malice aforethought, maliceful, malice in fact, malice in law, maliceless, malice murder, malice prepense, malicious, mute of malice
Related terms: malady

malice

verb

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

To intend to cause harm; to bear malice.

Thou blinded God (quod I) forgive me this offence, / Unwittingly I went about, to malice thy pretence.1557, Henry Howard, “Complaint of a lover that defied Love and was by Love after the more tormented”, in Songes and Sonettes:
Who on the other ſide did ſeeme ſo farre / From malicing, or grudging his good houre, / That, all he could, he graced him with her, / Ne euer ſhewed ſigne of rancour or of iarre.1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book VI, Canto IX”, in The Faerie Queene. […], part II (books IV–VI), London: […] [Richard Field] for William Ponsonby, →OCLC, page 477:

4 more examples

His paines, his pouertie, his ſharpe aſſayes, / Through which he paſt his miſerable dayes, / Offending none, and doing good to all, / Yet being maliſt both of great and ſmall.1596, Edm[und] Spenser, “An Hymne of Heavenly Love”, in Fowre Hymnes, London: […] [Richard Field] for William Ponsonby, →OCLC, page 32:
I am so far from malicing their states, / That I begin to pity 'em.1599, Ben Jonson, Every Man out of His Humour, act 5, scene 2:
A feeble spirited king that governed, / Who ill could guide the sceptre he did use; / His enemies, that his worth maliced, / Who both the land and him did much abuse: / The peoples love; and his apparent right, May seem sufficient motives to incite.1609, Samuel Daniel, The History of the Civil Wars, book 5, verse 48:
Here's a list of side effects / Practice tested / Covering every maliced angle / For example: / You will sleep forever / You will never sleep again1995, Fugazi, “Fell, Destroyed”, in Red Medicine, performed by Guy Picciotto:

Synonyms: envy, grudge, spite