01 a. Indulging or exercising malice; harboring ill will or enmity.
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1.
Indulging or exercising malice; harboring ill will or enmity.“I grant him bloody, . . . Sudden, malicious, smacking of every sin That has a name.” — Shak.
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2.
Proceeding from hatred or ill will; dictated by malice; as, a malicious report; malicious mischief.
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3.
With wicked or mischievous intentions or motives; wrongful and done intentionally without just cause or excuse; as, a malicious act.(Law)
Phrases & compounds
Malicious abandonment —
the desertion of a wife or husband without just cause.
Malicious prosecution —
a wanton prosecution or arrest, by regular process in a civil or criminal proceeding, without probable cause.