Malice
/ˈmælɪs/
Definitions
The intention or desire to do evil to someone; ill will.
/ˈmælɪs/
The intention or desire to do evil; ill will.
His actions were motivated by malice, not by any sense of justice.
💡 Simply: Malice is like when someone wants to hurt you or do something mean on purpose. Imagine your friend deliberately breaks your favorite toy because they're jealous – that's malice!
👶 For kids: Malice is when you want to do something bad to someone.
More Examples
She held no malice towards her former rivals, despite their attempts to sabotage her career.
The judge determined that the crime was committed with malice aforethought.
How It's Used
"The prosecution must prove malice aforethought to secure a conviction for first-degree murder."
"The villain's actions were fueled by a deep-seated malice towards the hero."
Idioms & expressions
Malice aforethought
The intention or desire to do a wrongful act, carried out deliberately or with such reckless disregard for the consequences as to imply intent.
"The jury found the defendant guilty of murder in the first degree, as the crime was committed with malice aforethought."
From Old French *malice* (evil, wickedness), from Latin *malitia* (wickedness, spitefulness), derived from *malus* (bad, evil).
The word 'malice' has been used in English since the 13th century, originating from Old French. It's found in various legal and literary texts, and the concept has existed for millennia.
Memory tip
Think of a MAL-IC-E, a sound of bad intent.