as in defamation
the making of false statements that damage another's reputation
public maligning of a person can actually be grounds for a lawsuit
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in insulting
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
as in libeling
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
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 maligning
Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 5 Jan. 2026
Defense attorneys have also decried violations of fair-trial rights, saying that the prosecutor in the cases has sought to influence the jury pool by maligning those charged.
—Lauren Carasik, Foreign Affairs, 22 Feb. 2017
Verb
Angel went for a respectful middle-of-the-road jab — complimenting her parenting and resilience, but maligning her for being petty.
—Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 5 Jan. 2026
Defense attorneys have also decried violations of fair-trial rights, saying that the prosecutor in the cases has sought to influence the jury pool by maligning those charged.
—Lauren Carasik, Foreign Affairs, 22 Feb. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for maligning
Noun
-
Baldoni has denied her allegations and filed a defamation lawsuit against the New York Times, which published the actress’ complaint.—
Lexi Carson,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Mar. 2026
-
In her ruling, Geraghty also found that the lawsuit's claims against two news companies covering the case dealing with defamation were insufficient, dismissing those as well.—
Dan Raby,
CBS News,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Prestianni, who has denied racially insulting Vinícius and has been defended by Benfica, was provisionally suspended for one match by UEFA and did not play in the second leg.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
1 Mar. 2026
-
According to the Tourette Association of America, between 10 and 15% of people living with the disorder have vocal tics that may include disturbing, insulting or inappropriate language, including swear words and slurs.—
Anastasia Tsioulcas,
NPR,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Anderson has countersued and accused Burkle of smearing his reputation amid a separate business dispute.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
6 Mar. 2026
-
When smearing peanut butter on bread, the robot watches the knife deflect down and crush the bread and judges forces from that.—
Deni Ellis Béchard,
Scientific American,
2 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The company accused Moore of libel.—
Drake Bentley,
jsonline.com,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Sugar libel was snipped from both bills.—
Pat Beall,
Sun Sentinel,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Shocking lies Within hours, the administration was slandering her.—
The Week UK,
TheWeek,
17 Jan. 2026
-
And then the media was slandering our dad’s name and reputation after a lifetime of being a fairly wholesome guy.—
Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
31 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
Conservative pundit Meghan McCain blasted commentator Tucker Carlson after a guest on his podcast and online show this week made a disparaging remark about her weight.—
Dominick Mastrangelo,
The Hill,
5 Dec. 2025
-
Emily’s father didn’t say it in a disparaging way—more like That was just Ryan.—
Jamie Thompson,
The Atlantic,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Judge Salas told us vilifying judges is eroding trust in the courts.—
Heather Abbott,
CBS News,
2 Mar. 2026
-
Newsom has manifested this weird love-hate relationship with oil, craving it in the short-term to keep California running while vilifying its manufacturers as the architects of our climate change crisis.—
Tom Philp,
Mercury News,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Former detainees and human rights organizations have documented systematic torture and severe abuses inside the facility, including beatings, electric shocks, suspension by limbs, prolonged stress positions and other degrading treatment.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Currently the funds spent by governments and the private sector on destroying biodiversty and degrading cosystems like forests and seagrasses are 30 times larger than the flows supporting conservation, restoration and protection of the natural world.—
Nick Nuttall,
Forbes.com,
28 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Maligning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/maligning. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
