malign

1 of 2

adjective

ma·​lign mə-ˈlīn 

1

a

: evil in nature, influence, or effect : injurious

the malign effects of illicit drugs

b

: malignant, virulent

a malign lesion

2

: having or showing intense often vicious ill will : malevolent

gave him a malign look

malignly adverb

malign

2 of 2

verb

maligned; maligning; maligns

transitive verb

: to utter injuriously misleading or false reports about : speak evil of

Her supporters say that she has been unfairly maligned in the press.

Did you know?

When a word's got mal- in it, it's no good. That prefix traces to the Latin word malus (which means "bad"), and it puts the negative vibes in both the verb and adjective forms of malign (from the Latin malignus, meaning "evil in nature") and a host of other English words. You can see it in malpractice (bad medical practice) and malady (a bad condition, such as a disease or illness, of the body or mind). A malefactor is someone guilty of bad deeds, and malice is a desire to cause injury, pain, or distress to another person. Other mal- formed words include malaise, malcontent, maladroit, malodorous, and malnourished.

Synonyms

Adjective

• bad [slang]
• bitchy
• catty
• cruel
• despiteful
• hateful
• malevolent
• malicious
• malignant
• mean
• nasty
• spiteful
• vicious
• virulent

Verb

• asperse
• blacken
• calumniate
• defame
• libel
• slander
• smear
• traduce
• vilify

Choose the Right Synonym for malign

Adjective

sinister, baleful, malign mean seriously threatening evil or disaster.

sinister suggests a general or vague feeling of fear or apprehension on the part of the observer.

a sinister aura haunts the place

baleful imputes perniciousness or destructiveness to something whether working openly or covertly.

exerting a corrupt and baleful influence

malign applies to what is inherently evil or harmful.

the malign effects of racism

Verb

malign, traduce, asperse, vilify, calumniate, defame, slander mean to injure by speaking ill of.

malign suggests specific and often subtle misrepresentation but may not always imply deliberate lying.

the most maligned monarch in British history

traduce stresses the resulting ignominy and distress to the victim.

so traduced the governor that he was driven from office

asperse implies continued attack on a reputation often by indirect or insinuated detraction.

both candidates aspersed the other's motives

vilify implies attempting to destroy a reputation by open and direct abuse.

no criminal was more vilified in the press

calumniate imputes malice to the speaker and falsity to the assertions.

falsely calumniated as a traitor

defame stresses the actual loss of or injury to one's good name.

sued them for defaming her reputation

slander stresses the suffering of the victim.

town gossips slandered their good name

Examples of malign in a Sentence

Adjective

both parties to the divorce showed a malign desire to make each other's future life utterly miserable

Verb

Her supporters say she is being unfairly maligned in the press.

a candidate who believes that it is possible to win an election without maligning anyone

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Project Texas would provide for a series of audits and code reviews of the algorithm in the United States, in which U.S. actors, including engineers at Oracle Corporation, would have an opportunity to detect any malign foreign influence over the recommendations engine. —Emily Baker-White, Forbes, 16 Sep. 2024

If the United States worked harder to disable Iran’s malign regional activities, that would not alter the Gulf states’ increasing eastward orientation. —Karen E. Young, Foreign Affairs, 31 July 2024

Verb

But their effects on political discourse, representative democracy, and constitutional government have been, on the whole, malign. —Jill Lepore, The New Yorker, 4 Nov. 2024

Some food scientists have criticized NOVA for being overly broad and unfairly maligning some healthy foods, but those arguments are also made in bad faith by big food companies to defend an industry that has made billions off making people sick. —Nicholas Florko, The Atlantic, 21 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English maligne, from Anglo-French, from Latin malignus, from male badly + gignere to beget — more at mal-, kin

Verb

Middle English, from Anglo-French maligner to act maliciously, from Late Latin malignari, from Latin malignus — see malign entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

malign

1 of 2 adjective

ma·​lign mə-ˈlīn 

1

: evil in influence or effect

2

: showing strong ill will : malevolent

malign

2 of 2 verb

: to say evil things about : slander