maliciousness

adjective

1. full of, characterized by, or showing malice; intentionally harmful; spiteful: malicious gossip.
2. Law. vicious, wanton, or mischievous in motivation or purpose.

adjective

1. characterized by malice
2. motivated by wrongful, vicious, or mischievous purposes

n.mid-15c., from malicious + -ness. adj.early 13c., from Old French malicios “showing ill will, spiteful, wicked” (Modern French malicieux), from Latin malitiosus “wicked, malicious,” from malitia “badness, ill will, spite,” from malus “bad” (see mal-). In legal use (early 14c., Anglo-French), it means “characterized by malice prepense.”