malice

Malice denotes the intention or desire to harm others, typically accompanied by a hostile attitude or a willingness to act on that impulse. It implies deliberate wrongdoing rather than accidental harm and often involves resentment, vengeful motive, or a general malevolent outlook. In common usage, malice stands in contrast to negligence or mere ill will that stops short of harmful action.

Etymology and usage: The word derives from Latin malitia, meaning badness or wickedness, from malus, bad. In legal and philosophical contexts, malice is analyzed as a mental state or motivation that renders an act morally blameworthy or legally punishable.

In criminal law, malice aforethought is a traditional requirement for murder in many jurisdictions. It denotes a conscious purpose to kill or to cause serious bodily harm, or a course of reckless indifference to human life that is sufficient to support a murder conviction. In other contexts, such as manslaughter, the absence or reduction of malice can explain a different charge. In civil law, malice can elevate liability in claims such as defamation or intentional infliction of emotional distress, where the plaintiff must show that the defendant acted with knowledge of falsity or a reckless disregard for the truth, or with spiteful or wanton intent.

Psychologically, malice is studied as a form of hostile or antisocial motivation that favors harming others. In moral philosophy, malice is typically treated as a high-severity fault—an ill will toward persons that exceeds mere selfishness or error. Different theories dispute how precisely to define malice, but it is generally distinguished from negligence, accident, or nonmalicious anger.