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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Recent Examples of maligned
Some of the top American stars, such as Aaron Judge and Bryce Harper, have been maligned for their inability to win the big game.
—
Johnny Flores Jr, New York Times, 17 Mar. 2026
Even the scenes in the endlessly maligned New York City (played at least partially by Fort Worth, Texas) look beautiful, undermining the nightmarish declarations of Sheridan’s scripts.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 13 Mar. 2026
Yeezy representative Milo Yiannopoulos maligned him and our firm in the press.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 11 Mar. 2026
Journalists related stories to Brown of the future princess giving them the slip, joking with them, managing her media relations so she wouldn’t be overexposed or maligned.
—Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 23 Feb. 2026
The company argued that the rules unfairly maligned its products, because nuts are too high in fat to qualify as healthy.
—Nicholas Florko, The Atlantic, 22 Feb. 2026
And though Milan’s Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena has been much maligned, for barely being ready in time for the hockey tournament, its acoustics met the moment.
—Sean Gregory, Time, 20 Feb. 2026
Is Spider-Man 3 fairly or unfairly maligned?
—James Grebey, Vulture, 31 Jan. 2026
Texas has been maligned for its lack of bench production this season, but Lassina Traore, Chendall Weaver and Simeon Wilcher have all been on the court during this decisive late run.
—Thomas Jones, Austin American Statesman, 31 Jan. 2026
Johnny Flores Jr, New York Times, 17 Mar. 2026
Even the scenes in the endlessly maligned New York City (played at least partially by Fort Worth, Texas) look beautiful, undermining the nightmarish declarations of Sheridan’s scripts.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 13 Mar. 2026
Yeezy representative Milo Yiannopoulos maligned him and our firm in the press.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 11 Mar. 2026
Journalists related stories to Brown of the future princess giving them the slip, joking with them, managing her media relations so she wouldn’t be overexposed or maligned.
—Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 23 Feb. 2026
The company argued that the rules unfairly maligned its products, because nuts are too high in fat to qualify as healthy.
—Nicholas Florko, The Atlantic, 22 Feb. 2026
And though Milan’s Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena has been much maligned, for barely being ready in time for the hockey tournament, its acoustics met the moment.
—Sean Gregory, Time, 20 Feb. 2026
Is Spider-Man 3 fairly or unfairly maligned?
—James Grebey, Vulture, 31 Jan. 2026
Texas has been maligned for its lack of bench production this season, but Lassina Traore, Chendall Weaver and Simeon Wilcher have all been on the court during this decisive late run.
—Thomas Jones, Austin American Statesman, 31 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for maligned
Verb
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The high-frequency detail that was already fading from atmospheric absorption got smeared further.—
Yook JiHun,
Popular Science,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Grainy mustard smeared on a chunk of corned beef is delicious too.—
Tribune Content Agency,
Baltimore Sun,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The Pahlavis, in exile, were vilified, but the family still appeared duty-bound to project the image of Reza as the dynastic heir of Iranian monarchy.—
Azadeh Moaveni,
New Yorker,
22 Mar. 2026
-
In the fight to save Wikie and Keijo, the idea of a sanctuary is the enemy of the existing marine park — both options are still captivity, yet one is romanticized and one vilified — and more importantly one form is a fantasy, the other a reality.—
Valerie Greene,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
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At one point in his teenage years, Diaz was publicly humiliated by the football team who forcefully shaved his curly hair.—
Andrea Flores,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Walz and Ellison were humiliated and could not account for their blundering.—
Joe Soucheray,
Twin Cities,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Some of the humor was mildly edgy, including jokes about pedophiles, the Epstein files and disgraced royal Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
22 Mar. 2026
-
Radcliffe plays Arthur, a documentary filmmaker hired by Morgan’s disgraced former football player, Reggie, to make a The Last Dance–style documentary and facilitate Reggie’s comeback.—
Eliana Dockterman,
Time,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Now, the ultimate question of whether Walters slandered Miller will return to the district court.—
Dale Denwalt,
Oklahoman,
29 Jan. 2026
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Jerry Jones slandered my name to Cowboys media and national media for months.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
1 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Still, the author's main argument wasn't totally discredited.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
25 Mar. 2026
-
The traditional security hawks would be discredited, and the populist anti-interventionists vindicated.—
Jonathan Chait,
The Atlantic,
25 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Maligned.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/maligned. Accessed 28 Mar. 2026.
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