maligned

American  

[muh-lahynd] / məˈlaɪnd /

adjective

1. spoken ill of; defamed or slandered.

   I pointed to my unweeded yard full of bees and waxed rhapsodic about the benefits of the maligned dandelion.

   Considered by many to be a usurper and murderer, Richard III is one of the most maligned kings in history.

---

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of malign.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• unmaligned
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of maligned

malign ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

Long maligned by bigger groups, farmers and ranchers outside of larger agricultural trade groups have been given a seat at the table.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 3, 2026

Once maligned for taking on debt to fuel costly media acquisitions, AT&T has since sold off those units and refocused on core telecommunications activities.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 7, 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

Often maligned for her lack of goals compared with fellow forward Blackstenius, Russo's all-round play is what makes her a key component in Slegers' system.

From BBC • Dec. 13, 2025

I wailed and gnashed my teeth over the fact that I had maligned a fellow student.

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss