MALIGNED Synonyms: 41 Similar and Opposite Words

maligned

verb

Definition of maligned

past tense of malign

as in libeled

to make untrue and harmful statements about a candidate who believes that it is possible to win an election without maligning anyone

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of maligned City Hall is extending the deadline for New Yorkers seeking an exemption to the highly controversial — and much maligned —pied-à-terre tax law, Mayor Mamdani announced Saturday. — Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 1 Aug. 2026 Many nutrition researchers say seed oils have been unfairly maligned. — Maria Godoy, NPR, 21 July 2026 Or maybe England’s much maligned Bukayo Saka shaking off early struggles to finish with a hat trick? — Sergio Gonzalez, New York Times, 19 July 2026 Naturally, Orr grew up rooting against Kansas whenever the schools met and was much maligned by his peers for it. — Latif Love july 16, Kansas City Star, 16 July 2026 But injuries quickly maligned lofty plans for the Sky, who gave up significant draft capital — including their first-round pick in 2028 — to piece together this roster. — Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 13 July 2026 Trump has repeatedly maligned Haitian immigrants, including falsely accusing Haitians living in Ohio of eating people’s pets. — Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 26 June 2026 Eric Zitzewitz, another co-author of the 2008 paper and a professor at Dartmouth, suggested that while gambling-like behavior may be happening on prediction markets, the platforms may be getting unfairly maligned. — Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 21 June 2026 The tangerine-hued drink may have maligned aperitivo as what Americans think of as happy hour—consuming multiple drinks before dinner—but traditionally, aperitivo is a millennia-old ritual that stems from sipping a single drink with herbal, bitter flavors to stimulate the appetite. — Jillian Dara, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for maligned

Verb

Camille can still picture Burke standing over her, fake blood smeared across her dress.

— Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 5 Aug. 2026
There’s rarely anything as straightforward as a kick drum, a hi-hat, or even a bassline here; instead, everything is smeared, all origins occulted in a thicket of echoes and reflections.

— Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of smeared

Verb

But the backlash against pandemic responses, including vaccine mandates, led to the vaccines and mRNA technology being vilified by some and becoming the focus of widespread misinformation.

— Rob Stein, NPR, 6 Aug. 2026
Durant was vilified for leaving Oklahoma City at the peak of his powers to join the ascendant dynasty in the Bay Area alongside two-time reigning MVP Stephen Curry, Thompson and Draymond Green.

— Devon Henderson, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of vilified

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malignantly

maligned

maligning

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“Maligned.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/maligned. Accessed 10 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of maligned

verb

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