malicia
Lemma Details
Translation: malice; cunning; shrewdness; craftiness; guile
Part of Speech: noun
Etymology: From Latin 'malitia', derived from 'malus' meaning 'bad' or 'evil'. The English cognate 'malice' shares the same Latin root. While both Spanish 'malicia' and English 'malice' retain the sense of ill will or desire to harm, the Spanish term has evolved to also strongly connote cleverness, cunning, and the ability to perceive hidden intentions in others.
Commonality: 70%
Guessability: 80%
Register: neutral
Example Usage
Tiene la malicia suficiente para entender las intenciones ocultas.
He has enough shrewdness to understand hidden intentions.
Su comentario estaba lleno de malicia.
His comment was full of malice.
La malicia es necesaria para sobrevivir en este negocio.
Cunning is necessary to survive in this business.
Lo dijo con malicia para provocar una reacción.
He said it maliciously to provoke a reaction.
Mnemonics
- Think of 'malice' in English, but with an added sense of cleverness.
- Remember that 'mal' means 'bad' in Spanish, and 'malicia' is the quality of knowing what's bad or harmful.
Related Words, Phrases & Idioms
Antonyms
Cultural Context
In Spanish-speaking cultures, 'malicia' often has a dual nature. While it can refer to harmful intent, it's also frequently used to describe a positive quality of street-smartness or the ability to detect deception. In some contexts, particularly in Latin America, having 'malicia indígena' or 'malicia criolla' is considered a valuable trait for navigating social situations and avoiding being taken advantage of.
Easily Confused With
Explanation: While 'malicia' can refer to a cunning or shrewd quality that may or may not be harmful, 'maldad' specifically refers to wickedness, evil, or deliberate harmful intent without the connotation of cleverness.
Confused word:
Su maldad le llevó a dañar a personas inocentes.
His wickedness led him to harm innocent people.
Notes: 'Malicia' often implies a certain intelligence or perception, while 'maldad' is more straightforwardly about evil or harmful intent.
Mnemonic: 'Malicia' has 'cia' like 'intelligence agency' - it involves cleverness; 'maldad' has 'dad' like 'bad' - it's purely negative.
Explanation: 'Malicia' refers to cunning or malice, while 'maleza' means 'undergrowth' or 'weeds' - they sound similar but have completely different meanings.
This word:
Detectó la malicia en sus palabras inmediatamente.
He detected the malice in his words immediately.
Notes: These words share only a superficial phonetic similarity but belong to entirely different semantic fields.
Mnemonic: 'Maleza' ends with 'eza' which sounds like 'weeds-a' to help remember it refers to plants.