MALIGNED Synonyms: 41 Similar and Opposite Words

maligned

verb

Definition of maligned

past tense of malign

as in libeled

to make untrue and harmful statements about a candidate who believes that it is possible to win an election without maligning anyone

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of maligned His lawyer has maintained his client’s innocence, saying Betancourt has been unfairly maligned because people associate him with a group of wealthy young Venezuelans, some of whom have been accused of wrongdoing, according to press reports. — Cate Brown, ProPublica, 21 Oct. 2026 This year’s iteration takes place in Middlesbrough, a corner of the country that has recently been much maligned. — The Week Uk, TheWeek, 9 Oct. 2026 Poor, maligned, disastrous, feels-like-being-trapped-inside-a-tuba Digger. — Joe Reid, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2026 The Trojans’ maligned secondary, in particular, was a major beneficiary. — Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026 What is often maligned as one of the worst tracks for racing due to the lack of overtaking opportunities will now have an extra race, surely opening the door for even more criticism. — Luke Smith, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026 Slack continues to be a bright spot in the results — a major reversal from a couple years ago, when the company was maligned for paying too much to acquire the workplace messaging app during the Covid-19 pandemic. — Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026 City Hall is extending the deadline for New Yorkers seeking an exemption to the highly controversial — and much maligned —pied-à-terre tax law, Mayor Mamdani announced Saturday. — Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 1 Aug. 2026 Many nutrition researchers say seed oils have been unfairly maligned. — Maria Godoy, NPR, 21 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for maligned

Verb

Apparently, ancient Greeks used breadsticks smeared with olive oil as a lubricant.

— Rachel Handler, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2026
Her makeup, crafted by Diana Shin, was equally as striking and overtly feminine, featuring pink shadow smeared in her crease, shimmer on her lids, falsies glued to her top lash line and burgundy lip liner accenting her lips.

— Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of smeared

Verb

Some of this was exacerbated by going to Duke, of course, which has a history of some of its best players being vilified nationwide.

— Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 30 Sep. 2026
But Timothy Leary’s version became the dominant idea of psychedelics, and when President Ronald Reagan’s War on Drugs began, psychedelics were vilified as the gateway to ruin.

— Claire Hoffman, Rolling Stone, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of vilified

Verb

From the very start, the students assigned as guards went on cruel power trips and repeatedly humiliated — if not psychologically tortured — the inmates, to the point that some of the prisoners suffered nervous breakdowns.

— Frank Landymore, Futurism, 29 Oct. 2026
The Packers come off an angry loss while the Panthers were humiliated on Sunday.

— Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of humiliated

Verb

But for audiences outside North America, catching Nathan Fielder’s three-hour documentary about disgraced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes — now expected to be a major player in awards season — has become a frustrating waiting game.

— Alex Ritman, Variety, 23 Oct. 2026
Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim‘s documentary about disgraced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes widens to 2,600 theaters domestically on Friday for its sophomore frame.

— Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of disgraced

Verb

News of the briefing leaked, and the senators lashed out at the FBI, saying their efforts to scrutinize the Biden family had been discredited and falsely linked to Russian disinformation.

— Eric Tucker, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2026
The regime discredited the uncorroborated claims by having state media release photos of the 42-year-old dictator touring a clothing and footwear exhibition in Pyongyang with his wife and teenage daughter Kim Ju Ae.

— Anna Coren, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of discredited

Browse Nearby Words

malignantly

maligned

maligning

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“Maligned.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/maligned. Accessed 30 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of maligned

verb

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