mal·ice

[mal-is]
noun
1.
desire to inflict injury, harm, or suffering on another, either because of a hostile impulse or out of deep-seated meanness: the malice and spite of a lifelong enemy.
2.
Law. evil intent on the part of a person who commits a wrongful act injurious to others.

Origin:
1250–1300; Middle English < Old French < Latin malitia. See mal-, -ice


1. ill will, spite, spitefulness; animosity, enmity; malevolence; venom, hate, hatred; bitterness, rancor. See grudge.


1. benevolence, goodwill.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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World English Dictionary
malice (ˈmælɪs) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
1.  the desire to do harm or mischief
2.  evil intent
3.  law See also malice aforethought the state of mind with which an act is committed and from which the intent to do wrong may be inferred
 
[C13: via Old French from Latin malitia, from malus evil]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
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00:10
Malice is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
a fool or simpleton; ninny.
an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

malice
c.1300, "desire to hurt another," from O.Fr. malice "ill will, spite," from L. malitia "badness, ill will, spite," from malus "bad" (see mal-). In legal use, "wrongful intent generally" (1540s).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
But he didn't seem to make the moves for malice or for personal gain.
Both articles are filled with nothing but innuendo and personal malice.
Parody can be done from malice or from affection, but it is fundamentally a
  mode of subversion.
Above all because those errors were, by and large, not rooted in malice or
  ignorance but in good intentions.
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