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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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
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
For decades Middle East Studies centers have been maligned as left-wing hotbeds that, in their critics’ view, are excessively hostile to Israel, overly friendly to Islam, and troublingly uninterested in terrorism.
—Lydia Kiesling, TIME, 20 Mar. 2025
Over the last few years, reexamining the lives of women maligned by the media, from Marcia Clark to Britney Spears, has become something of a cultural touchstone, often to positive effect.
—Aja Romano, Vox, 4 Mar. 2025
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
For decades Middle East Studies centers have been maligned as left-wing hotbeds that, in their critics’ view, are excessively hostile to Israel, overly friendly to Islam, and troublingly uninterested in terrorism.
—Lydia Kiesling, TIME, 20 Mar. 2025
Over the last few years, reexamining the lives of women maligned by the media, from Marcia Clark to Britney Spears, has become something of a cultural touchstone, often to positive effect.
—Aja Romano, Vox, 4 Mar. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for maligned
Verb
-
Jason’s windshield was smeared, and the late-afternoon sunlight came through hazily.—
Akhil Sharma,
New Yorker,
28 Aug. 2025
-
After many years of legal battles with the city, Smollett lost his job on Empire and his reputation was smeared.—
Lea Veloso,
StyleCaster,
22 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Lying at work often shows up as fraud, and some leaders struggle to know where the line is between criminal fraud and stretching the truth a bit, as disgraced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes and former cryptocurrency exchange king Sam Bankman-Fried discovered.—
Lindsay Kohler,
Forbes.com,
2 Sep. 2025
-
Here, Emmy winner Edebiri’s character accuses Garfield’s assistant professor of assaulting her after a party, and the film tracks his rapid mental dissolution and disgraced academic status with some standout moments.—
Marcus Jones,
IndieWire,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
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
-
Israel is not merely charged with war crimes — it is vilified as a genocidal regime, guilty of starving and killing civilians en masse.—
Avi Weiss,
New York Daily News,
10 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
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
-
Having been humiliated at a college party, proceeds to use his tech skills to hack into the accounts of his peers and get revenge.—
Stewart Clarke,
Deadline,
27 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Maligned.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/maligned. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share