malizioso
/ma.litˈt͡sjo.zo/
The English word 'malicious' translates to Italian as malizioso.
The term is used to describe something that is deliberately harmful or spiteful.
Meaning: deliberately harmful, spiteful (adj)
Which one should you use?
While malizioso can mean malicious, it is more frequently used to mean 'mischievous' or 'playfully naughty', often carrying a flirtatious or suggestive undertone. If you want to describe someone or something as truly malicious, harmful or evil, malvagio is a more accurate choice. Furthermore, for more formal contexts, you can use malevolo or perfidioso.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective malizioso must agree in gender and number with the noun it modifies. Use maliziosa for feminine singular nouns, maliziosi for masculine plural nouns and maliziose for feminine plural nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /ma.litˈtsjo.zo/. It has four syllables, and the stress is on the third syllable.
Did you know?
- In Italian, calling someone malizioso is often a compliment regarding their wit or flirtatious nature, whereas in English, 'malicious' is almost always an insult.
- The word malizioso is derived from the Latin malitiōsus, which connects it to the root for 'bad' or 'evil'.
- To describe a child who is 'naughty' in a cute way, Italians use malizioso, but to describe a child who is genuinely behaving badly, they use monello.
Examples in context
- Il mio vicino è una persona maligna.My neighbor is a malicious person.
- Ha fatto una battuta maligna sulla mia situazione finanziaria.He made a malicious joke about my financial situation.
- Marco è un ragazzo cattivo, non fidarti di lui.Marco is a malicious boy, don't trust him.
- Non ti fidare di Federica, ha un animo malevolo.Don't trust Federica, she has a malicious nature.
- Il suo sorriso malizioso nascondeva un piano sinistro.His malicious smile concealed a sinister plan.
- Quell'uomo perfidoso ha ingannato tutti con la sua falsa affabilità.That malicious man deceived everyone with his false friendliness.
Example conversation
Lorenzo and Martina are discussing a coworker's behavior.
- LorenzoHai visto cosa ha scritto Marco?Did you see what Marco wrote?
- MartinaSì, è un messaggio davvero malizioso.Yes, it is a truly malicious message.
- LorenzoPerché vuole farci litigare?Why does he want us to fight?
- MartinaNon lo so, è proprio strano.I don't know, he is really strange.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry malizioso, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries malizioso, CC BY-SA 4.0.
