/ məˈlaɪn; NAmE / verb , adjective
■ verb
[ vn ] ( formal ) to say bad things about sb/sth publicly
SYN slander :
She feels she has been much maligned by the press.
■ adjective
[ usually before noun ] ( formal ) causing harm :
a malign force / influence / effect
—compare benign
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WORD ORIGIN
Middle English : via Old French maligne (adjective), malignier (verb), based on Latin malignus tending to evil, from malus bad.