Malice is a legal term referring to a party's intention to do injury to another party. Malice is either expressed or implied. Malice is expressed when there is manifested a deliberate intention to unlawfully take away the life of a human being. Malice is implied when no considerable provocation appears, or when the circumstances attending the killing show an abandoned and malignant heart. In many kinds of cases, malice must be found to exist in order to convict. For example, malice is an element of the crime of arson in many jurisdictions. In civil law cases, a finding of malice allows for the award of greater damages , or for punitive damages.
Navigation menu
Test your vocabulary with our fun image quizzes
It was a review of Lady Macbeth, and it dripped with malice. Polish them until they gleam with malice , wicked glee, and non-registry gifts. Why does Rivers' joke have the sting of deliberate shock without any of the other joke's malice? What came out instead was the opposite: mean-spirited, nasty, laced with malice and threat.
Sign up, it's free!
To save this word, you'll need to log in. Malicious and malevolent are close in meaning, since both refer to ill will that desires to see someone else suffer. But while malevolent suggests deep and lasting dislike, malicious usually means petty and spiteful. Malicious gossipers are often simply envious of a neighbor's good fortune. Vandals may take malicious pleasure in destroying and defacing property but usually don't truly hate the owners. Malice is an important legal concept, which has to be proved in order to convict someone of certain crimes such as first-degree murder. Examples of malice in a Sentence All of this is about control, of course. While nicknames can just as easily be dispensed with affection as with malice , either way the practice is as stone alpha male as social interaction gets. Schlesinger, Jr. See More Recent Examples on the Web Previously, prosecutors had to prove the officer acted with malice — an almost impossible standard, and one no other state had.
Use malice in a sentence. Elaine's malice towards her lying husband caused her to destroy her wedding ring. An example of malice is when you hate someone and want to seek revenge. Sentences Sentence examples.
