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
Margaret MacMillan, Foreign Affairs, 21 July 2025
As events in Eddington rise to national prominence, Aster cuts to a private jet full of antifa goons — the infamous outside agitators — being flown into the town by some malign puppet master.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 18 July 2025
Caroline Rose, Foreign Affairs, 18 Sep. 2025
The dam broke Saturday night for the Dodgers’ maligned offense, even with Logan Webb pitching.
—Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for malign
Adjective
Incidents such as the American pilot Gary Powers’s intercepted U-2 flight over the Soviet Union in 1960 or the Soviet shooting down of the Korean airliner in 1983 tended to be read by the other side as evidence of malign intent.
—Margaret MacMillan, Foreign Affairs, 21 July 2025
As events in Eddington rise to national prominence, Aster cuts to a private jet full of antifa goons — the infamous outside agitators — being flown into the town by some malign puppet master.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 18 July 2025
Verb
In its weekly online newsletter, which reaches and inspires jihadists across the globe, the group routinely maligns Shara and the new government and calls for soldiers in the Syrian military to defect.
—Caroline Rose, Foreign Affairs, 18 Sep. 2025
The dam broke Saturday night for the Dodgers’ maligned offense, even with Logan Webb pitching.
—Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for malign
Recent Examples of Synonyms for malign
Adjective
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The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links that install malware, potentially accessing your private information, is to have strong antivirus software installed on all your devices.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
27 Sep. 2025
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Servers running on motherboards sold by Supermicro contain high-severity vulnerabilities that can allow hackers to remotely install malicious firmware that runs even before the operating system, making infections impossible to detect or remove without unusual protections in place.—
Dan Goodin,
ArsTechnica,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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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 a cruel exercise, each kid is provided with a pack of basic supplies and made to hike 50 miles through the wilderness to the top of Mount Otis.—
Erin Qualey,
Vulture,
25 Sep. 2025
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Community leader Araya Amsalu, who helped coordinate a vigil following the shooting, said knowing Eden had gone to law enforcement about Ericksen before made the shooting feel even more cruel.—
Matthew Cupelli,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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After smearing Tylenol, the president's unscripted remarks quickly veered into an incoherent rant linking vaccines to autism as well.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
24 Sep. 2025
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Mash it up, smear it on toast, toss it in a salad, or eat it straight.—
Claire Bugos,
Verywell Health,
17 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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This pervasive fragmentation creates a vicious cycle.—
Emeka Ajene,
semafor.com,
29 Sep. 2025
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Two officers responded and learned the teen had barricaded himself inside the upper unit of the duplex with several vicious dogs, according to a search warrant.—
Chris Ramirez,
jsonline.com,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The only way to stop this erosion is to remember what unites us, while seeking common ground, without vilifying the other side.—
Mark Waller,
Denver Post,
26 Sep. 2025
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Cleopatra, who was respected in Egypt but vilified in Roman accounts, promoted the cult of Isis and Osiris, and artifacts from her rule have been found at the site.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
26 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Does the constitutional right to free speech protect offensive, even hateful speech?—
Scott Simon,
NPR,
27 Sep. 2025
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There is power in speaking up to reveal these hateful ideologies that have incited deadly violence.—
Christopher Tremoglie,
The Washington Examiner,
25 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Malign.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/malign. Accessed 4 Oct. 2025.
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