Malign
To speak ill of; slander; defame; vilify.
verbMalign
To speak ill of; slander; defame; vilify.
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Imagine This
Candidates vilify their opponents during political campaigns, which is a bad sign morally.
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Sounds Like
muh-LINE
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Looks Like
mal (bad) + sign
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Remember This
The prefix mal- means 'bad'; malign derives from Latin malignus, related to other 'bad' words like malice and malignant.
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Other Forms
malignantadjective
malignancynoun
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Connect With
slander, defame, libel, smear, calumniate
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Note
Malign means to speak ill about someone; it does not refer to physical harm. It is distinct from malignant (adj.) meaning dangerous or harmful, and from malignancy (noun).