malice Definition
mal·ice (mal′is)
noun
- active ill will; desire to harm another or to do mischief; spite
- Law evil intent; state of mind shown by intention to do, or intentional doing of, something unlawful
Etymology: OFr < L malitia < malus, bad: see mal-
malice Idioms
malice aforethought
or malice prepensea deliberate intention and plan to do something unlawful, as murder
malice Synonyms
malice
n.
Antonyms
malice Law Definition
n
constructive malice
malice Usage Examples
Converse of object
- bear: I am unharmed: why should I bear malice?
- transfer: Nor is it transferred malice, for there is no need of a transfer.
- hold: Once again let me repeat, we do not hold any malice in our hearts against jews.
- have: How unlikely is it the King's advocate should have malice against persons who commit murder, or should even know them at all.
- prove: For instance, in the UK you do not have to prove malice, as you do in America.
- feel: I don't feel no malice against you for it.
Preposition: against
person: How unlikely is it the King's advocate should have malice against persons who commit murder, or should even know them at all.
Converse of subject
- motivate: The qualification on privilege refers to statements motivated by malice.
- actuated: The defense of qualified privilege would not be available if the official receiver was actuated by express malice in making his/her report.
- prompt: To make allegations that the Scunthorpe Health Authority were prompted by malice is equally absurd.
Adjective modifier
- targeted: In the judge's opinion, this did not amount to a deliberate plan to use targeted malice to close the company.
- sheer: The only way a film could be this poorly conceived is out of sheer malice.
- real: O.K. , so we don't always see eye to eye but there's never been any real malice in our dealings before.
- express: It ends with a plea of express malice against the first and second defendants.
- constructive: Abolition of " constructive malice " in killings in course or furtherance of other offenses.
- uninformed: Sometimes it feels more like the ' uninformed malice ' comes from the Republicans in the US.
Modifies a noun
cannot: That must be a complete action wherein malice cannot find fault.
Preposition: in
man: He had so much energy and so many decent thoughts, no malice in the man at all.
Preposition: of
Browse dictionary entries near malice
- ‹ malic acid
- ‹ Mali
- ‹ malfunction
- ‹ malformed
- ‹ malformation
- ‹ malfeasance
- ‹ malevolent
- ‹ malevolence
- ‹ malentendu
- ‹ malemute

