malicia

malice

noun mah-LEE-syah Rare

Origin: From Latin malitia, from malus (bad).

Also means

wickedness

Usage Note

Malicia denotes deliberate ill intent rather than mere bad luck or incompetence—someone acts con malicia when they mean harm. A useful idiom is sin malicia, meaning 'without any ill intent,' often used to soften a blunt remark. The adjective malicioso and adverb maliciosamente share the same root.

Examples

"Actuó con malicia."

Natural Translation

He acted with malice.

Free starter pack

Building your Spanish vocabulary?

Get the 100 most common Spanish words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.

Related Words

Explore Spanish by topic

SpanishNow

Tener in Spanish: Why You're Hungry, Cold & 30 Years

In Spanish you HAVE hunger, cold, and 30 years — not are them. Master tener expressions like tengo hambre, tengo frío, and tengo 30 años in one rule.

June 9, 2026 5 min read

SpanishNow

Spanish Diminutives: What -ito and -ita Really Mean

Spanish diminutives rarely mean 'little.' Learn what -ito and -ita really signal — warmth, softening, downplaying — plus the -cito and -ecito formation rules.

June 9, 2026 6 min read

SpanishNow

Spanish Accent Marks: 3 Rules for Every Word

A Spanish word needs an accent mark in just three cases: it breaks the default stress, it's a homophone, or a weak vowel splits off. Here are all three rules.

June 3, 2026 6 min read

SpanishNow

El or La? Spanish Noun Gender Rules Made Simple

El or la? Spanish noun gender is ~99% readable off the word's ending. Learn the o/a defaults, LONERS, feminine endings, and the handful of rebels to memorize.

June 3, 2026 7 min read