malign

C2+ Topic:Communication

US /məˈlaɪn/ UK /məˈlaɪn/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

verb
to speak harmful untruths about; or evil and harmful in nature

Critics maligned the author for views she had never actually held.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to speak harmful untruths... slander defame vilify disparage traduce denigrate calumniate

Opposites

praise laud extol commend benign

Word family

Derived forms malignermalignant malignity

Related forms benign malignant malignity

Etymology

From Old French maligne ('evil, malicious'), from Latin malignus ('wicked, ill-disposed'), from male ('badly') + the root of genus ('born, kind').

malignus Latin male Middle English *gene- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

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# malign

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /məˈlaɪn/
**IPA (UK):** /məˈlaɪn/

## Meanings
1. to speak harmful untruths about; or evil and harmful in nature

## Examples
- Critics maligned the author for views she had never actually held.

## Synonyms
- slander
- defame
- vilify
- disparage
- traduce
- denigrate
- calumniate

## Antonyms
- praise
- laud
- extol
- commend
- benign

## Derived Forms
- maligner
- malignant
- malignity

## Related Forms
- benign
- malignant
- malignity

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: malignus
- Root: male
- Root: *gene-

## Etymology
From Old French maligne ('evil, malicious'), from Latin malignus ('wicked, ill-disposed'), from male ('badly') + the root of genus ('born, kind').

## AI Etymology
Malign comes from Old French maligne ('evil, malicious'), from Latin malignus ('wicked, ill-disposed'), from male ('badly') + the root of genus ('born, kind'). The etymological trail includes Latin malignus, Latin male, Proto-Indo-European *gene-. The same word family includes maligner, malignant, malignity, benign. Its current verb use means "to speak harmful untruths about; or evil and harmful in nature".

## Topics
- Communication

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malign

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