malign

1 of 2

adjective

ma·​lign mə-ˈlīn 

1

a

: 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

malignly adverb

malign

2 of 2

verb

maligned; maligning; maligns

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.

Did you know?

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 both the verb and adjective forms of malign (from the Latin malignus, meaning "evil in nature") 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.

Synonyms

Adjective

• bad [slang]
• bitchy
• catty
• cruel
• despiteful
• hateful
• malevolent
• malicious
• malignant
• mean
• nasty
• spiteful
• vicious
• virulent

Verb

• asperse
• blacken
• calumniate
• defame
• libel
• slander
• smear
• traduce
• vilify

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

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

The wealthy are seen as playing a malign role in society. —Richard Edelman, TIME, 19 Jan. 2025

The movie, which will have its European premiere at the fest, revolves around a young father whose hold on reality crumbles as a seemingly malign presence begins to stalk him following the death of his wife. —Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 16 Jan. 2025

Verb

Nonetheless, Magdalene has been maligned by Church fathers throughout the centuries; in the present day, feminist scholars have championed her. Magdalene, appearing in scripture only fourteen times, belongs to a tangle of at least six women named Mary. —Eliza Griswold, New Yorker, 19 Apr. 2025

The conference was maligned all year and played down to its reputation with only four total bids and just one team advancing to the Sweet 16. —Jon Wilner, Mercury News, 31 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English maligne, from Anglo-French, from Latin malignus, from male badly + gignere to beget — more at mal-, kin

Verb

Middle English, from Anglo-French maligner to act maliciously, from Late Latin malignari, from Latin malignus — see malign entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for malign

• affine
• airline
• align
• aline
• assign
• baseline
• beamline
• benign
• bloodline
• bovine
• byline
• canine

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Kids Definition

malign

1 of 2 adjective

ma·​lign mə-ˈlīn 

1

: evil in influence or effect

2

: showing strong ill will : malevolent

malign

2 of 2 verb

: to say evil things about : slander