malign
adjective
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Definition of malign
(Entry 1 of 2)
malign
verbDefinition of malign (Entry 2 of 2)
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Synonyms & Antonyms for malign
Synonyms: Adjective
bad [slang], bitchy, catty, cruel, despiteful, hateful, malevolent, malicious, malignant, mean, nasty, spiteful, vicious, virulent
Synonyms: Verb
asperse, blacken, calumniate, defame, libel, slander, smear, traduce, vilify
Antonyms: Adjective
benevolent, benign, benignant, loving, unmalicious
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Examples of malign in a Sentence
Adjective
both parties to the divorce showed a malign desire to make each other's future life utterly miserableVerb
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
Mr Chakravarty alleges a second malign motive behind the anti-corruption campaign. — The Economist, "The Indian government’s anti-corruption campaign revs up," 29 Aug. 2019 Yes, the outcomes of testing can be put to malign uses. — Randall Kennedy, Washington Post, "A black academic grapples with his own racism," 23 Aug. 2019 Iran’s malign activity poses a fundamental threat to the stability of the Middle East and to Americans at home and abroad. — Fox News, "Trump administration gets green light to sell arms to Saudi Arabia, after Senate rejects veto overrides," 30 July 2019 The law's original intent—to shine a spotlight on malign bot activity and to increase public awareness—is noble. — Renee Diresta, WIRED, "A New Law Makes Bots Identify Themselves—That's the Problem," 24 July 2019 The Islamic Republic’s nuclear program, missile technology, proxy forces, terrorism, and malign behavior in the region concern not only Israel but also Sunni governments. — Matthew Continetti, National Review, "Benjamin Netanyahu: Israel’s Longest-Serving Prime Minister," 20 July 2019 Already, the same media Sanders helped mislead and malign is rewarding her. — Michael Arceneaux, Essence, "Opinion: Sarah Sanders Will Probably Become Governor Of Arkansas," 20 June 2019 In withdrawing from the deal last year, Trump pointed to the accord not limiting Iran’s ballistic missile program and not addressing what American officials describe as Tehran’s malign influence across the wider Middle East. — Jon Gambrell, The Denver Post, "Two oil tankers targeted near Strait of Hormuz amid Iran-U.S. tensions," 13 June 2019 For Snyder, the malign influence of Russia’s antidemocratic turn does not end in Eastern Europe. — Adam Tooze, The New York Review of Books, "Democracy and Its Discontents," 6 June 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
The same is true of Beltran, who is a deserving first-ballot choice but spent his entire career being undervalued and occasionally maligned by writers and fans alike. — Jon Tayler, SI.com, "Baseball Hall of Fame Inductions Are Heading for a Bleak Period," 19 July 2019 The Hugo win is a huge validation for many fanfic authors — many of whom are used to being dismissed and culturally maligned — that all of their non-professional works are worthy of respect. — Aja Romano, Vox, "4.7 million fanfics are now Hugo winners, thanks to AO3 and the transformative culture that built it.," 19 Aug. 2019 The Fort Worth City Council on Tuesday voted to remove an official from the city's Human Rights Commission over a series of bigoted social media posts that maligned immigrants, transgender people and Muslims. — Arnessa Garrett, Dallas News, "Bonnen apologizes but faces investigation, Trump lights up Joaquin Castro, Paxton joins sick leave lawsuit," 8 Aug. 2019 These groups contend the scandal maligns the priesthood and harms the Catholic faith. — Martha Mendoza, Washington Post, "Priests accused of sex abuse turned to under-the-radar group," 29 July 2019 These groups contend the scandal maligns the priesthood and harms the Catholic faith. — Anchorage Daily News, "Priests accused of sex abuse turned to under-the-radar group," 29 July 2019 Incredible Bats: Bats are often misunderstood and maligned. — chicagotribune.com, "Calendar: Celebrate Harry Potter's birthday Wednesday in Lake Forest," 23 July 2019 Historians have unfairly maligned this Congress, which did, after all, see the states through to victory in a very doubtful contest. — Thomas Wendel, National Review, "The Beginning of a Nation," 4 July 2019 Long maligned for his reckless approach at the plate, Twins slugger Miguel Sano put on a clinic late in Saturday’s down-to-the-wire 5-4 loss to the Oakland Athletics. — Dane Mizutani, Twin Cities, "Is strikeout-prone Twins slugger Miguel Sano finally starting to figure it out?," 21 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'malign.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.