Meaning & use
unmalicious
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivenot comparable
Not intending to hurt or upset anyone; free from bad or cruel intentions.
Grammar: Used before a noun or after a linking verb: an unmalicious remark / the remark was unmalicious.
Patterns
- an unmalicious remark
- an unmalicious joke
- be unmalicious
Her comment about his cooking was unmalicious; she simply did not know he had made the dish himself.
He told an unmalicious joke that unfortunately upset one of the guests.
The email was unmalicious in tone, but it still caused confusion.
adjectivenot comparable
Not caused by or showing a desire to harm; innocent in intention.
Grammar: Often describes actions or mistakes that had bad results but no bad intent.
Patterns
- an unmalicious mistake
- an unmalicious error
- completely unmalicious
It was an unmalicious mistake, but it cost the company a lot of money.
She spread the rumor in an unmalicious way, not realizing how much damage it would do.
His unmalicious slip of the tongue embarrassed everyone at the table.
Common combinations
- an unmalicious remark
- He made an unmalicious remark about her new haircut.
- an unmalicious joke
- It was an unmalicious joke, but it still hurt her feelings.
- completely unmalicious
- His intentions were completely unmalicious.
- unmalicious in tone
- The message was unmalicious in tone.
Synonyms and how they differ
- harmless
- Harmless focuses on the lack of bad effects, while unmalicious focuses on the lack of bad intent.
- well-meaning
- Well-meaning suggests good intentions but often hints that the person caused problems anyway; unmalicious is more neutral.
- innocent
- Innocent can mean 'not guilty of a crime' or 'not experienced,' so it is broader than unmalicious.
Opposites
Word family
- malicious adjective
- Intending to harm or upset someone.
- maliciously adverb
- In a way that intends to harm or upset someone.
- malice noun
- The desire to harm or upset someone.
- unmaliciously adverb
- In a way that does not intend harm; without bad intent.
Commonly confused: unmalicious or unmalicious?
unmalicious vs unmalicious
Do not confuse with 'unmalicious' and 'nonmalicious'; 'unmalicious' is the more common form, while 'nonmalicious' is rare and usually technical.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'unmalicious' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Unmalicious' means not intending harm, so it fits a comment that accidentally hurt someone. Option An is wrong because making everyone angry suggests harmful intent, and option C is wrong because biting is a harmful action.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “unmalicious”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.