malign
Americanverb (used with object)
-
maligns,
present (3rd person singular)
-
maligned,
past participle, past
-
maligning
present participle
adjective
-
evil in effect; pernicious; baleful; injurious.
The gloomy house had a malign influence upon her usually good mood.
- Synonyms:
- baneful
-
having or showing an evil disposition; malevolent; malicious.
adjective
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
malignsimple
-
malignssimple
-
have malignedperfect
-
has malignedperfect
-
am maligningprogressive
-
are maligningprogressive
-
is maligningprogressive
-
have been maligningperfect progressive
-
has been maligningperfect progressive
Past
-
malignedsimple
-
had malignedperfect
-
was maligningprogressive
-
were maligningprogressive
-
had been maligningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of malign
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English maligne, from Middle French, from Latin malignus; see mal-, benign
Explanation
If you malign someone, you badmouth them — just like the jilted girlfriend who tells the whole school her ex has bad breath and head lice. When you habitually malign people, you risk being described as "a malign influence" — in this case, malign is an adjective that describes a harmful or even evil person or thing. Whichever way you use the word, its connection to wickedness can be found in its Latin root, malignus, "wicked or bad-natured," which combines male, or "badly" and -gnus, "born."
Vocabulary lists containing malign
Tier 2 Words for the SBAC ELA Items
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"The Monkey's Paw" by W. W. Jacobs
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Unit 1: Telling Details
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Yet that’s also how Malone feels about the current climate of Hollywood — a once-stable neighborhood fending off malign forces.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 8, 2026
After the patrols got under way, there weren’t any suspected malign incidents for about a year, Abrahamson said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 9, 2026
Schumer in his statement, noted that “Iran’s malign regional activities, nuclear ambitions, and harsh oppression of the Iranian people demands American strength, resolve, regional coordination, and strategic clarity.”
From Slate ● Mar. 4, 2026
"We are not faulting the social media companies for failure to remove malign content from their platforms," Bergman told AFP.
From Barron's ● Jan. 26, 2026
“We don’t want to breathe that smoke. It’s full of malign humors.”
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
Much like the recent reclaiming of the bimbo as empowering and gossip as an act of feminist resistance, her L.A. hot girl TikToks remove guilt from the pleasure of feminine hobbies that patriarchy maligns.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2023
But the movement has been getting pushback from some Hindu Americans who argue that such legislation maligns a specific community.
From Washington Times ● Feb. 21, 2023
The girls' family has also questioned the police's version, saying it maligns their daughters.
From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2022
These groups contend the scandal maligns the priesthood and harms the faith.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 28, 2019
But often one man maligns another, and yet is much worse himself than the object of his blame and scorn.
From Four Arthurian Romances by William Wistar Comfort
Oral estrogens have been unfairly maligned, while transdermal patches have been deemed a safer option.
From MarketWatch ● May 12, 2026
Ayton, often maligned for his inconsistent effort, has been a force in the postseason, averaging 11.8 points and 10.8 rebounds while often guarding Rockets All-Star Alperen Sengun one-on-one.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 2, 2026
Others think the floods were far worse than any recent precedent, and that the Eastlands have been unfairly maligned.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026
Richly talented but much maligned, England captain Harry Brook finally achieved redemption at Pallekele stadium in Kandy after a torrid few months -- and came of age as a leader.
From Barron's ● Feb. 25, 2026
And I, for one, am tired of the way black holes get maligned!
From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows
CompassCare has responded by furiously maligning Kamke in public, an unusual way to treat a former patient.
From Slate ● May 28, 2024
Schultz and Gershman expect that, should Carroll proceed with another complaint and trial, Trump will receive much steeper punitive damages than previously adjudged as the court attempts to further deter him from maligning her.
From Salon ● Mar. 11, 2024
The 50-year-old journalist was living in Kenya to avoid arrest at home on charges of maligning the powerful military.
From Washington Times ● May 25, 2023
FBI and Justice Department policy cautions against discussing ongoing investigations, both to protect the integrity of the inquiries and to avoid unfairly maligning someone who is being scrutinized but winds up ultimately not being charged.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 12, 2022
I won’t have you maligning my father, you naughty man!
From The Camerons of Highboro by Beth Bradford Gilchrist
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
