gratuitous maliciousness; capricious and unjust: wanton destruction.

The connotation of evil typically includes qualities such as maliciousness, immorality, and malevolence. It is often associated with wickedness and a deliberate intent to harm or cause suffering.

"Maligned" is a synonym for "vilified." It means to speak about someone in a derogatory or critical manner in order to damage their reputation.

In the King James version

the word - malice - appears 6 times

the word - malicious - appears once

the word - maliciousness - appears twice