as in villainously
in a mean or spiteful manner
maliciously tried to ruin her reputation
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Recent Examples of maliciously
Meanwhile, the average time between an attacker first gaining access to a system and acting maliciously fell to 29 minutes last year, a 65 percent acceleration from 2024.
—
ArsTechnica, 20 Apr. 2026
Our policy is—and has long been—that team members are only responsible for paying for personal protective equipment if the equipment is lost or maliciously damaged.
—Dillon Thomas, CBS News, 15 Apr. 2026
Ultimately, the risk is not that AI agents will behave maliciously.
—Dan Mountstephen, Fortune, 13 Apr. 2026
The league maliciously refuses to act like a nice, friendly bank and give us overdraft privileges.
—Inga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Apr. 2026
Those labs have put guardrails in place to prevent their models from creating software that can be used maliciously.
—Huo Jingnan, NPR, 11 Apr. 2026
This may have been maliciously organized by the Department of Homeland Security to drive home a point.
—David Frum, The Atlantic, 11 Mar. 2026
The legislation from Attorney General Brenna Bird also raises the penalties for threatening judges or their families and maliciously sharing their personal information.
—Stephen Gruber-Miller, Des Moines Register, 25 Feb. 2026
That language is weaponized so maliciously throughout Aïnouz’s second English-language feature speaks to his intent to unnerve the audience relentlessly.
—David Opie, IndieWire, 15 Feb. 2026
ArsTechnica, 20 Apr. 2026
Our policy is—and has long been—that team members are only responsible for paying for personal protective equipment if the equipment is lost or maliciously damaged.
—Dillon Thomas, CBS News, 15 Apr. 2026
Ultimately, the risk is not that AI agents will behave maliciously.
—Dan Mountstephen, Fortune, 13 Apr. 2026
The league maliciously refuses to act like a nice, friendly bank and give us overdraft privileges.
—Inga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Apr. 2026
Those labs have put guardrails in place to prevent their models from creating software that can be used maliciously.
—Huo Jingnan, NPR, 11 Apr. 2026
This may have been maliciously organized by the Department of Homeland Security to drive home a point.
—David Frum, The Atlantic, 11 Mar. 2026
The legislation from Attorney General Brenna Bird also raises the penalties for threatening judges or their families and maliciously sharing their personal information.
—Stephen Gruber-Miller, Des Moines Register, 25 Feb. 2026
That language is weaponized so maliciously throughout Aïnouz’s second English-language feature speaks to his intent to unnerve the audience relentlessly.
—David Opie, IndieWire, 15 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for maliciously
Adverb
-
In other words, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you.—
Derek Robertson,
The Washington Examiner,
8 Aug. 2025
Adverb
-
The beating continued, viciously, as I was shoved to the floor behind the driver’s seat.—
Shelly Kittleson,
The Atlantic,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Most occur as the closing credits roll, whether pretending to be viciously mauled by a bear or, even more unnervingly, clearly superimposing his face onto the body of a performing cellist.—
Jon O'Brien,
IndieWire,
22 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
The trial has dragged on for six years in a case that has bitterly divided the Israeli public.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
-
The eight men at the center of this book shared the common experience of being born before the Civil War, when this country was bitterly divided over slavery.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
25 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
Images of Labubus beamed malevolently from their packaging, as if gloating in their unreachability.—
Kyle Chayka,
New Yorker,
20 Aug. 2025
Adverb
-
Richard is so gifted, whip smart, and wickedly funny.—
Ellise Shafer,
Variety,
17 Apr. 2026
-
The resistance to public disclosure has been wickedly unrelenting, overcome only by an act of Congress last year.—
Kevin Rennie,
Hartford Courant,
7 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Maliciously.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/maliciously. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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