What does malice mean?
Malice means the wish to hurt, embarrass, or otherwise cause harm to someone, and it can also describe a general atmosphere of spite or ill will. The word is usually uncountable: people speak of a feeling or act of malice, of doing something out of malice, or of a person acting maliciously. Malice is stronger and more deliberate than ordinary irritation, while it can be either openly expressed or concealed behind apparently friendly behaviour. In legal language, malice may be important evidence of intention, especially in the established phrase 'malice aforethought.' The word is useful because it names a particular kind of hostility: not merely bad luck, disagreement, or frustration, but a desire to cause harm. It is also related to the adjective malicious and to words such as malevolence and malevolent.
nounMalice is the desire to cause harm or injury to another person, or the ill will that motivates such a desire. It can also refer more broadly to a hostile or spiteful attitude toward someone or something.
- The desire to cause harm or injury to another person.
- A hostile, spiteful, or unkind attitude toward another person.
- In law, an intention to harm or injure, especially as a factor in establishing criminal intent.
"The witness testified that the insult was made out of malice rather than in good faith."
"The rumor was spread with obvious malice."
"The court found evidence of malice aforethought in the attacker's planning."
Rarely used; malice is normally an uncountable noun.
"The novel portrays several small malices hidden beneath the appearance of friendship."
In law, 'malice aforethought' is one of the traditional phrases associated with deliberate criminal intent, but the expression can also mean that someone planned to be nasty.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does malice come from?
Malice comes from the Latin noun malitia, meaning hostility, spite, or a disposition to do harm. The Latin word is related to malus, meaning bad or evil. English borrowed the word in the Middle English period, and it later developed the legal expression 'malice aforethought.'
Related word forms
How malice is actually used
Malice is generally uncountable and describes a hostile intention or attitude. In legal contexts, it can indicate an intention to cause harm, as in the expression 'malice aforethought'.
Easily confused with malice
Malice is the noun meaning a desire to cause harm, whereas malicious is the adjective describing a person, action, or intention marked by that harmful intent.