Standard Lemma guide

malware

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /ˈmæl.wɛː/
  • UK: /ˈmæl.wɛə/
  • US: /ˈmæl.wɛəɹ/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: M AE1 L W EH2 R Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Software which has been designed to operate in a malicious, undesirable manner.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable, usually

Topics: computing, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From mal- + -ware.

Across languages

Translations

111 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Afrikaans: skadelike programmatuur — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Amharic: ማልዌር (malwer) — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Arabic: برنامج ضار — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Armenian: վնասագիր (vnasagir) — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Armenian: վնասակար ծրագրային ապահովում (vnasakar cragrayin apahovum) — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Armenian: վնասարար ծրագրաշար (vnasarar cragrašar) — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Azerbaijani: ziyankar proqram — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Azerbaijani: ziyanverici proqram — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Basque: software kaltegarria — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Belarusian: шкоднасная праграма (škódnasnaja prahrama) — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Bengali: মালওয়্যার (malōẇyar) — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Bengali: ক্ষতিকর সফটওয়্যার (khotikor śophoṭōẇyar) — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Bulgarian: злонамерен софтуер (zlonameren softuer) — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Chinese Mandarin: 流氓軟件 /流氓软件 (liúmáng ruǎnjiàn) — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Chinese Mandarin: 惡意軟件 /恶意软件 (èyì ruǎnjiàn) — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Czech: malware — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Czech: škodlivý software — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Danish: malware — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Danish: skadelig software — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Dutch: malware — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Dutch: schadelijke software — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Esperanto: fiprogramaro — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Estonian: pahavara — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Estonian: ründevara — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Finnish: haittaohjelma — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • French: maliciel — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • French: logiciel malveillant — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Georgian: მავნე პროგრამა (mavne ṗrograma) — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Georgian: საზიანო პროგრამა (saziano ṗrograma) — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • German: Schadsoftware — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • German: Malware — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • German: Schadprogramm — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Greek: κακόβουλο λογισμικό (kakóvoulo logismikó) — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Greek: επιβλαβές λογισμικό (epivlavés logismikó) — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Hebrew: תוכנות מזיקות — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Hebrew: תוכנה זדונית — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Hindi: मैलवेयर (mailveyar) — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Hindi: दुर्भावनापूर्ण सॉफ़्टवेयर (durbhāvnāpūrṇ sŏfṭaveyar) — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Hungarian: rosszindulatú szoftver — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Hungarian: kártevő szoftver — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Hungarian: kártékony szoftver — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Indonesian: peranti perusak — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Indonesian: peranti lunak berbahaya — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Indonesian: perangkat lunak jahat — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Indonesian: malwer — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Italian: malware — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Italian: software dannoso — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Japanese: マルウェア (maruwea) — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Japanese: 悪意のソフトウェア (akui no sofutowea) — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Japanese: 不正ソフトウェア (fusei sofutowea) — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Japanese: 有害なソフトウェア (yūgai na sofutowea) — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Javanese: piranti pangrusak — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Korean: 맬웨어 (maerweeo) — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Korean: 악성 소프트웨어 (akseong sopeuteuweeo) — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Korean: 유해한 소프트웨어 (yuhaehan sopeuteuweeo) — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Latvian: ļaunprogrammatūra — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Latvian: ļaunatūra — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Lithuanian: kenkėjiška programa — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Macedonian: злонамерен софтвер (zlonameren softver) — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Macedonian: штетен софтвер (šteten softver) — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Malay: perisian berniat jahat — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Malay: perisian berbahaya — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Malay: perisian hasad — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Māori: pūmanawa kino — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Marathi: मालवेअर (mālvear) — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Marathi: दूर्भावनापूर्ण सॉफ्टवेअर (dūrbhāvnāpūrṇa sŏphṭavear) — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Nepali: मालवेयर (mālaveyar) — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Norwegian: skadelig programvare — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Norwegian: skadevare — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Persian: بدافزار — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Persian: نرم افزار مخرب — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Polish: szkodliwe oprogramowanie — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Polish: złośliwe oprogramowanie — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Portuguese: malware — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Portuguese: programa malicioso — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Punjabi: ਮਾਲਵੇਅਰ (mālveara) — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Punjabi: ਦੁਰਭਾਵਨਾਪੂਰਣ ਸੌਫਟਵੇਅਰ (durbhāvanāpūraṇ sauphṭaveara) — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Romanian: malware — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Romanian: software rău intenționat — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Russian: вредоно́сная програ́мма (vredonósnaja prográmma) — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Russian: зловре́дная програ́мма (zlovrédnaja prográmma) — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Russian: вредоно́с (vredonós) — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Russian: зловре́д (zlovréd) — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Serbo-Croatian: малвер — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Serbo-Croatian: штетни со̏фтве̄р — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Serbo-Croatian: злонамјерни со̏фтве̄р — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Serbo-Croatian: злонамерни со̏фтве̄р — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Serbo-Croatian: malver — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Serbo-Croatian: štetni sȍftvēr — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Serbo-Croatian: zlonamjerni sȍftvēr — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Serbo-Croatian: zlonamerni sȍftvēr — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Slovak: malvér — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Slovak: škodlivý softvér — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Slovene: škodljivo programje — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Slovene: zlonamerno programje — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Spanish: malware — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Spanish: programa malicioso — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Swedish: skadlig programvara — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Swedish: sabotageprogram — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Thai: มัลแวร์ (mal-wɛɛ) — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Thai: ซอฟต์แวร์ที่เป็นอันตราย — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Turkish: zararlı yazılım — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Turkmen: zyýanly programma — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Ukrainian: шкідлива програма (škidlyva prohrama) — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Uzbek: zararli dastur — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Vietnamese: mã độc — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Vietnamese: phần mềm độc hại — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Vietnamese: phần mềm ác ý — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Vietnamese: phần mềm ác tính — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Vietnamese: phần mềm gây hại — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
  • Welsh: maleiswedd — software developed to cause harm to a computer system
Real reading context

malware in complete knowledge articles