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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of maligned
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
While leopard print has long been everywhere, and cow and deer print are experiencing somewhat of a revival, tiger stripes feel much more maligned.
—Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 29 Jan. 2026
In just a few short years, you’ve become known for these docs about women who aren’t simply high-profile, but who’ve seen their lives play out in the public eye and have often been maligned in the media.
—Alex Ritman, Variety, 27 Jan. 2026
Like several women maligned in the ’90s, Harding was reevaluated in later years, and the sympathetic 2017 biopic I, Tonya helped to rehabilitate her image.
—Natasha O'Neill, Vanity Fair, 26 Jan. 2026
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
While leopard print has long been everywhere, and cow and deer print are experiencing somewhat of a revival, tiger stripes feel much more maligned.
—Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 29 Jan. 2026
In just a few short years, you’ve become known for these docs about women who aren’t simply high-profile, but who’ve seen their lives play out in the public eye and have often been maligned in the media.
—Alex Ritman, Variety, 27 Jan. 2026
Like several women maligned in the ’90s, Harding was reevaluated in later years, and the sympathetic 2017 biopic I, Tonya helped to rehabilitate her image.
—Natasha O'Neill, Vanity Fair, 26 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for maligned
Verb
-
Snack on apple slices smeared with nut butter.—
Jillian Kubala,
Health,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Why are my windows still smeared after cleaning?—
Sharon Brandwein,
USA Today,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
For civil servants, who have been unfairly vilified, erratically fired and criminally prosecuted.—
Abby McCloskey,
Twin Cities,
5 Feb. 2026
-
The dissatisfaction has risen as corporations abandon their commitments to environmental, social and governance issues, vilified on the right as ESG and diversity, equity and inclusion programs.—
Chris Tomlinson,
Houston Chronicle,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Iran’s two major adversaries have thoroughly humiliated it; the regime was not able to hide its reclusive leader for even a few hours.—
Arash Azizi,
The Atlantic,
1 Mar. 2026
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Most casual fans could spend their entire lives studying a library’s worth of chess theory, only to still be routinely humiliated by competitive players.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The war is already disgraced by a monumental tragedy at the outset.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
2 Mar. 2026
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Mandelson, known for his ability to spin stories and reënter the fold, has been disgraced before.—
Jonathan Blitzer,
New Yorker,
17 Feb. 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
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After storms and flooding across Spain, Poland and the United States in late 2024, Moscow worked to claim that support for Ukraine had left countries vulnerable, stoked grievances in NATO countries and discredited Western democracies.—
Michael Chertoff,
The Orlando Sentinel,
4 Mar. 2026
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The Hamas massacre of October 7—whose atrocities were broadcast online by its perpetrators and seared into the Israeli consciousness—upended and discredited this approach.—
Yair Rosenberg,
The Atlantic,
2 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Maligned.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/maligned. Accessed 6 Mar. 2026.
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