as in malicious
having or showing a desire to cause someone pain or suffering for the sheer enjoyment of it
both parties to the divorce showed a malign desire to make each other's future life utterly miserable
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to libel
to make untrue and harmful statements about
a candidate who believes that it is possible to win an election without maligning anyone
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of malign
Matthew Carey, Deadline, 28 Aug. 2025
Advertisement In May, the European Union adopted a new Black Sea Strategy, which comes down to establishing a Black Sea Maritime Security Hub tasked with monitoring and providing early warning of emerging threats and malign activities.
—Galip Dalay, Time, 19 Aug. 2025
Mike Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 30 Sep. 2025
Kennedy's rhetoric on autism has been embraced by some corners of the autism community and maligned in others.
—Zac Anderson, USA Today, 22 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for malign
Adjective
That involved the special forces paying due heed to Indigenous cosmology which suggested a malign shapeshifting being known as a duende was conspiring to hide the children from their would-be rescuers.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 28 Aug. 2025
Advertisement In May, the European Union adopted a new Black Sea Strategy, which comes down to establishing a Black Sea Maritime Security Hub tasked with monitoring and providing early warning of emerging threats and malign activities.
—Galip Dalay, Time, 19 Aug. 2025
Verb
The Carolina Panthers’ much maligned 2023 draft class took another hit on Tuesday.
—Mike Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 30 Sep. 2025
Kennedy's rhetoric on autism has been embraced by some corners of the autism community and maligned in others.
—Zac Anderson, USA Today, 22 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for malign
Recent Examples of Synonyms for malign
Adjective
-
Police believe the act was done with malicious intent.—
Wren Smetana,
AZCentral.com,
26 Oct. 2025
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The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links is to have antivirus software installed on all your devices.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
In 2022, Manhattan Federal Judge Jed Rakoff, who presided over both trials, decided The Times was not liable for defamation while jurors were deliberating, that the error amounted to unfortunate editorializing but not libel.—
Molly Crane-Newman,
New York Daily News,
22 Apr. 2025
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As a new, inexpensive Chevrolet appeared in 1927 and The Dearborn Independent was sued for libeling a number of Jewish businessmen, Ford threw in the towel and apologized.—
George Pendle,
airmail.news,
15 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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In Pahani’s 2006 award-winning comedy Offside, about the cruel cultural chains binding Iranian women, a group of young women attempt to gain entry to a stadium to watch a World Cup qualifying match between Iran and Japan.—
Baz Bamigboye,
Deadline,
24 Oct. 2025
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There is no reason to be cruel to people.—
Sigal Ratner-Arias,
Billboard,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Robert returns to his desk only to find that Invisigal had stolen him a donut as a gesture of good faith, which is now smeared all over his keyboard for the new janitor, Water Boy, to clean by vomiting H20 on the mess.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
22 Oct. 2025
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Supervisor Kate Brophy McGee said the audit was purposefully designed to smear the Sheriff's Office.—
Richard Ruelas,
AZCentral.com,
22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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This creates a vicious cycle where shame is a currency, and the only person who actually pays a price is the one who is mocked.—
Eli Thompson,
Rolling Stone,
25 Oct. 2025
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After their parents got the police involved, the case remained unsolved for months until the FBI uncovered the shocking truth of who was behind the vicious messages after all.—
James Mercadante,
PEOPLE,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Or not even just vilified, but made fun of.—
Gerrick Kennedy,
Rolling Stone,
20 Oct. 2025
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And completely vilified and hunted.—
Antonia Blyth,
Deadline,
20 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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According to research from Copyleaks, an AI analysis firm that helps businesses and institutions navigate the shifting landscape of this emergent technology, a new trend has produced Sora videos of celebrities appearing to spew hateful racist epithets.—
Miles Klee,
Rolling Stone,
23 Oct. 2025
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Other fits have been hateful, veering into racist and antisemitic diatribes.—
Taijuan Moorman,
USA Today,
23 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Malign.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/malign. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.
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