as in smeared
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
The dam broke Saturday night for the Dodgers’ maligned offense, even with Logan Webb pitching.
—
Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025
In addition to political persecution, returning Venezuelans would reenter a country teetering on collapse—maligned by hyperinflation, soaring unemployment, rampant crime, frequent power outages, water shortages and chronic scarcities of food and medicine.
—Antonio Maria Delgado, Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 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
Much of black metal has typically maligned Christianity and other institutional religions, and some practitioners took parts in Norwegian church burnings in the 1990s.
—Mikal Gilmore, Rolling Stone, 30 Mar. 2025
The Iraq War film was both critically maligned and a commercial bomb that can only be attributed to hubris, vis-à-vis the allure of new filmmaking technology.
—Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 27 Mar. 2025
At other times, he’s been maligned because of an inability to make 3-point shots — his worst performances aligning with BYU’s toughest losses.
—Sam Blum, The Athletic, 25 Mar. 2025
Brown said he is being unfairly maligned.
—Justin Wingerter, The Denver Post, 21 Mar. 2025
Already maligned with controversy surrounding both stars Gal Gadot and Rachel Zegler, the studio’s latest introduces a number of aggressively irrelevant details to further complicate its new take on an unimpeachable classic.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 21 Mar. 2025
Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025
In addition to political persecution, returning Venezuelans would reenter a country teetering on collapse—maligned by hyperinflation, soaring unemployment, rampant crime, frequent power outages, water shortages and chronic scarcities of food and medicine.
—Antonio Maria Delgado, Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 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
Much of black metal has typically maligned Christianity and other institutional religions, and some practitioners took parts in Norwegian church burnings in the 1990s.
—Mikal Gilmore, Rolling Stone, 30 Mar. 2025
The Iraq War film was both critically maligned and a commercial bomb that can only be attributed to hubris, vis-à-vis the allure of new filmmaking technology.
—Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 27 Mar. 2025
At other times, he’s been maligned because of an inability to make 3-point shots — his worst performances aligning with BYU’s toughest losses.
—Sam Blum, The Athletic, 25 Mar. 2025
Brown said he is being unfairly maligned.
—Justin Wingerter, The Denver Post, 21 Mar. 2025
Already maligned with controversy surrounding both stars Gal Gadot and Rachel Zegler, the studio’s latest introduces a number of aggressively irrelevant details to further complicate its new take on an unimpeachable classic.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 21 Mar. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for maligned
Verb
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Laptop screens get spattered, smeared, dusty, and dirty from frequent use.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
9 Sep. 2025
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Jason’s windshield was smeared, and the late-afternoon sunlight came through hazily.—
Akhil Sharma,
New Yorker,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
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An excessive force lawsuit against a former San Jose cop disgraced by a racist texting scandal is set to resume, after a federal court ruling last week affirmed the ex-officer is not shielded from litigation in his controversial 2022 shooting of an aspiring college football player.—
Robert Salonga,
Mercury News,
16 Sep. 2025
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The District 7 race for disgraced former Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson’s seat is likely headed for a recount, with third-place finisher Mavrick Afonso making a formal request Monday based on his narrow 20-vote defeat.—
Gayla Cawley,
Boston Herald,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
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She has been valorized and vilified in equal measure throughout her life.—
Daniel Jonah Wolpert,
NPR,
8 Sep. 2025
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Undocumented immigrants are sometimes vilified while their employers escape criticism, according to Bradley, a retired attorney whose career represented business interests.—
Rick Barrett,
jsonline.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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All that to be humiliated in the Orlando bubble?—
Mirjam Swanson,
Oc Register,
4 Sep. 2025
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Inter Miami, clearly humiliated, let out its frustrations after the final whistle, when several Miami players, led by Luis Suarez, got into a scuffle with Seattle players.—
Michelle Kaufman,
Miami Herald,
1 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Moreno calls accusations ‘slander’ In a statement provided to The Bee, Moreno denied the accusations and said she was being slandered.—
Nicole Nixon,
Sacbee.com,
9 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Eventually, however, Lowell’s ideas were discredited—Schiaparelli, once an ally, renounced them—and the world moved on.—
Jon Allsop,
New Yorker,
29 Aug. 2025
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By the end of the year, the cold fusion bubble had burst, the technology was discredited, and the concept relegated to bad spy fiction and conspiracy theories.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
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In 2022, the courts ruled that Jones defamed the families of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School mass shooting, in which six adults and 20 children were killed.—
Fernando Cervantes Jr,
USA Today,
15 Aug. 2025
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In January, a jury found that CNN defamed the veteran, Zachary Young.—
Winston Cho,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Sep. 2019
Cite this Entry
“Maligned.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/maligned. Accessed 19 Sep. 2025.
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