malign

adjective

ma·lign | \ mə-ˈlīn

Definition of malign

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : evil in nature, influence, or effect : injurious the malign effects of illicit drugs

b : malignant, virulent a malign lesion

2 : having or showing intense often vicious ill will : malevolent gave him a malign look

malign

verb

maligned; maligning; maligns

Definition of malign (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

: to utter injuriously misleading or false reports about : speak evil of Her supporters say that she has been unfairly maligned in the press.

Other Words from malign Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about malign

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Choose the Right Synonym for malign

Adjective

sinister, baleful, malign mean seriously threatening evil or disaster. sinister suggests a general or vague feeling of fear or apprehension on the part of the observer. a sinister aura haunts the place baleful imputes perniciousness or destructiveness to something whether working openly or covertly. exerting a corrupt and baleful influence malign applies to what is inherently evil or harmful. the malign effects of racism

Verb

malign, traduce, asperse, vilify, calumniate, defame, slander mean to injure by speaking ill of. malign suggests specific and often subtle misrepresentation but may not always imply deliberate lying. the most maligned monarch in British history traduce stresses the resulting ignominy and distress to the victim. so traduced the governor that he was driven from office asperse implies continued attack on a reputation often by indirect or insinuated detraction. both candidates aspersed the other's motives vilify implies attempting to destroy a reputation by open and direct abuse. no criminal was more vilified in the press calumniate imputes malice to the speaker and falsity to the assertions. falsely calumniated as a traitor defame stresses the actual loss of or injury to one's good name. sued them for defaming her reputation slander stresses the suffering of the victim. town gossips slandered their good name

Did You Know?

Verb

When a word's got "mal-" in it, it's no good. That prefix traces to the Latin word malus (which means "bad"), and it puts the negative vibes in "malign" and a host of other English words. You can see it in "malpractice" (bad medical practice) and "malady" (a bad condition, such as a disease or illness, of the body or mind). A "malefactor" is someone guilty of bad deeds, and "malice" is a desire to cause injury, pain, or distress to another person. Other "mal-" formed words include "malaise," "malcontent," "maladroit," "malodorous," and "malnourished."

Examples of malign in a Sentence

Adjective

both parties to the divorce showed a malign desire to make each other's future life utterly miserable

Verb

Her supporters say she is being unfairly maligned in the press. a candidate who believes that it is possible to win an election without maligning anyone

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Of course the fact (is) that so much money has gone to support malign activities elsewhere, with very little focus on the economy itself. — Washington Post, "US official links economic protests in Iran to sanctions," 12 July 2018 Ollie’s attorneys contend that this accusation is categorically false and that its public release was designed to malign Ollie’s character and damage his prospects for future employment. — Michael Mccann, SI.com, "Breaking Down Kevin Ollie's Case Against UConn and the University's Likely Defenses," 29 June 2018 First, the wealth that was created in Iran as a result of the JCPOA drove Iranian malign activity. — Fox News, "Secretary Mike Pompeo previews upcoming Trump-Kim summit," 13 May 2018 This was a deeply flawed agreement that did nothing to check the support for terrorism and the malign activities of Iran, did nothing to check the ballistic missile ambitions. — CBS News, "Full transcript: Vice President Mike Pence on "CBS This Morning"," 10 May 2018 This is now officially an all-hands-on-deck effort to totally malign and, if possible, impeach the president of the United States. — David Zurawik, baltimoresun.com, "Zurawik: Just when you thought Sean Hannity couldn't sink any lower ... enter the Michael Cohen conflict," 17 Apr. 2018 Separately, diplomats are discussing ways to push back against Iran’s malign activities and constrain Iran’s exports and activities of ballistic missiles with a range below 1,240 miles. — Laurence Norman, WSJ, "Macron, Merkel Set to Visit Trump With Iran Deal Hanging in the Balance," 19 Apr. 2018 In his findings, presented to the state board in June 2017, Meyer concluded that the five original defendants in Pouncey's lawsuit conspired to malign Pouncey to keep him from getting the state superintendent's job. — Trisha Powell Crain, AL.com, "Will Pouncey lawsuit impact Alabama superintendent choice?," 18 Apr. 2018 The Trump administration is punishing seven Russian oligarchs and 17 Russian government officials with sanctions for what the U.S. calls Russia’s ‘‘malign activity’’ around the world. — Josh Lederman, BostonGlobe.com, "US punishes Russian oligarchs, officials with more sanctions," 6 Apr. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

But critics fear the apology and payout may not be enough, pointing out that SPLC has a history of attacking people and maligning their good names than apologizing. — Fox News, "Rep. Cuellar on battle over separating families at border," 19 June 2018 The bureau is one of the most politically divisive agencies in Washington, hailed as a regulatory crown jewel by Democrats while maligned by Republicans as a bastion of government overreach and waste. — Elizabeth Dexheimer And Margaret Talev, BostonGlobe.com, "Little-known White House aide chosen to lead consumer agency," 16 June 2018 During his rally in Montana earlier tonight, the president discussed just how low the left would go to malign the agenda. — Fox News, "Gowdy to Schiff: GOP doesn't give a damn what you think," 6 July 2018 Court documents and social media posts written by Ramos paint a portrait of an angry, frustrated man fuming about how he’d been mistreated and maligned. — Washington Post, "Newspaper shooting suspect’s grievances began with classmate," 29 June 2018 Clinton was almost single-handedly maligned for lapses in security that ultimately led to the 2012 attack on a U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, which claimed the lives of U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and three others. — Michelle Ruiz, Vogue, "Donald Trump Is Doing Yet Another Thing He Criticized Hillary Clinton Over," 22 May 2018 With Ronaldo gone, Madrid fans will look elsewhere for a new favourite and Bale, despite often being maligned so far in his La Liga career, could become that man with some commanding performances. — SI.com, "Gareth Bale 'Likely to Stay at Real Madrid' Despite Man Utd Interest Following Ronaldo Sale," 11 July 2018 At least one of Stone's relatives, meanwhile, claims he was maligned. — Ruth Brown, idahostatesman, "In 2014, she hid from her boyfriend in an Idaho hotel. This week, he shot her to death," 1 June 2018 The other cases involve defamation, with women claiming Cosby’s public smears maligned their reputations. — Jen Kirby, Vox, "Bill Cosby’s retrial may be the first real test of the power of #MeToo," 9 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'malign.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.