I. mə-ˈlīn adjective
Etymology: Middle English maligne, from Anglo-French, from Latin malignus, from male badly + gignere to beget — more at mal- , kin
Date: 14th century
1.
a. : evil in nature, influence, or effect : injurious
the malign effects of illicit drugs
b. : malignant , virulent
2. : having or showing intense often vicious ill will : malevolent
Synonyms: see sinister
• ma·lign·ly adverb
II. transitive verb
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French maligner to act maliciously, from Late Latin malignari, from Latin malignus
Date: 15th century
: to utter injuriously misleading or false reports about : speak evil of
Synonyms:
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