malice aforethought
Americannoun
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a predetermination to commit an unlawful act without just cause or provocation (applied chiefly to cases of first-degree murder).
noun
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the predetermination to do an unlawful act, esp to kill or seriously injure
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the intent with which an unlawful killing is effected, which must be proved for the crime to constitute murder See also murder manslaughter
Etymology
Origin of malice aforethought
First recorded in 1660–70
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Everything he has done in his whole life has been with malice aforethought.
From Salon • Jun. 1, 2022
Ramos’s premeditation, or malice aforethought, is manifest also through time.
From Washington Post • Oct. 30, 2019
And unlike many of the distortions floating around in social media, this one didn’t arise from malice aforethought, or result from anyone trying to perpetrate a scam or manipulate reality.
From New York Times • Dec. 18, 2018
As Regina George, the reigning mean girl with malice aforethought, Taylor Louderman is a contender for lead actress in a musical.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 7, 2018
But her very eye and gesture told him that she had marked him as he stood there, and had chosen the very seat on which her partner had placed her of malice aforethought.
From The Tenants of Malory Volume 2 of 3 by Le Fanu, Joseph Sheridan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.