Malices

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The intention to cause harm or suffering to others
2. A state of ill will wherein one seeks to inflict injury or distress
3. The desire or motivation behind actions that are meant to hurt, insult, or disrupt well-being

Etymology: "Malices" is the plural of "malice," so it is simply the plural form of a noun that has been in English for centuries. The singular comes to English from Old French "malice," which itself descends from Latin "malitia," meaning badness, bad quality, ill-will, or spite. That Latin noun was built on "malus," meaning bad, the same root that gives English words like "malign" and "malevolent." The word passed through Middle English before settling into its current sense. Its core idea has stayed remarkably steady: a deliberate wish to harm, rooted in the notion of simple badness.

Synonyms: ill will, spite, malevolence

Antonyms: kindness, goodwill, benevolence