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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Recent Examples of maligned
Scottish weather is much maligned, but our summers are sublime, and the long daylight feels like a real luxury.
—
Riza Cruz, Vogue, 11 May 2026
While Nelson Mandela became South Africa's first Black president and a global icon – having spent 27 years in jail for his role in the fight against apartheid – his wife Winnie, who was arguably just as instrumental in that fight, has been widely maligned.
—Kate Bartlett, NPR, 2 May 2026
Trump has repeatedly maligned Haitian immigrants, including falsely accusing Haitians living in Ohio of eating people’s pets.
—Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2026
At times, it’s seemed futile, as the Royals’ beleaguered offense and maligned bullpen let them down.
—Kansas City Star, 27 Apr. 2026
Many trainers of that era maligned Islam and backed policies that violated the rights of ordinary American Muslims in the name of counterterrorism, according to civil liberties watchdogs.
—Hannah Allam, ProPublica, 21 Apr. 2026
Tucci, who reprises his role as Miranda’s right-hand man Nigel Kipling, opted for Giorgio Armani, while his real life sister-in-law Blunt, who plays the oft maligned first assistant Emily Charlton, looked gorgeous in Schiaparelli spring 2026 couture.
—Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 21 Apr. 2026
The most versatile vehicle on the road is the minivan and, like cargo shorts, it’s often maligned for no good reason.
—New Atlas, 19 Apr. 2026
Once maligned as one of the worst video-game movies ever made, it’s now still maligned as one of the worst video-game movies ever made.
—Mike Drucker, Vulture, 16 Apr. 2026
Riza Cruz, Vogue, 11 May 2026
While Nelson Mandela became South Africa's first Black president and a global icon – having spent 27 years in jail for his role in the fight against apartheid – his wife Winnie, who was arguably just as instrumental in that fight, has been widely maligned.
—Kate Bartlett, NPR, 2 May 2026
Trump has repeatedly maligned Haitian immigrants, including falsely accusing Haitians living in Ohio of eating people’s pets.
—Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2026
At times, it’s seemed futile, as the Royals’ beleaguered offense and maligned bullpen let them down.
—Kansas City Star, 27 Apr. 2026
Many trainers of that era maligned Islam and backed policies that violated the rights of ordinary American Muslims in the name of counterterrorism, according to civil liberties watchdogs.
—Hannah Allam, ProPublica, 21 Apr. 2026
Tucci, who reprises his role as Miranda’s right-hand man Nigel Kipling, opted for Giorgio Armani, while his real life sister-in-law Blunt, who plays the oft maligned first assistant Emily Charlton, looked gorgeous in Schiaparelli spring 2026 couture.
—Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 21 Apr. 2026
The most versatile vehicle on the road is the minivan and, like cargo shorts, it’s often maligned for no good reason.
—New Atlas, 19 Apr. 2026
Once maligned as one of the worst video-game movies ever made, it’s now still maligned as one of the worst video-game movies ever made.
—Mike Drucker, Vulture, 16 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for maligned
Verb
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But the pigment and gum are largely invisible, because harding and Upkett smeared them with white paint used by the Carnegie Museum to cover its walls.—
Alex Greenberger,
ARTnews.com,
12 May 2026
-
The Orbánists first ignored them, then smeared them.—
Andrew Marantz,
New Yorker,
9 May 2026
Verb
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Prosecutors alleged that China was vilified for wanting simple things like food and water.—
Christine Pelisek,
PEOPLE,
1 May 2026
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On both occasions, an adult denied a kid a baseball and was caught on camera doing so, and both were vilified on social media for their actions.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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You can be humiliated, and won’t that be awful?—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
19 May 2026
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Those who don’t get the job leave diminished, sometimes humiliated, and the institution absorbs the damage quietly for years.—
Paul Hardart,
Fortune,
9 May 2026
Verb
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Day, acquitted of one killing, but convicted of the other in 1994, has long alleged Chicago police tied to disgraced former police Cmdr.—
Jake Sheridan,
Chicago Tribune,
14 May 2026
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King may be familiar to followers of Massachusetts State Police scandals as his state case came up in the fallout to the revelations regarding disgraced ex-Trooper Michael Proctor.—
Lance Reynolds,
Boston Herald,
9 May 2026
Verb
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Now, the ultimate question of whether Walters slandered Miller will return to the district court.—
Dale Denwalt,
Oklahoman,
29 Jan. 2026
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Jerry Jones slandered my name to Cowboys media and national media for months.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
1 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The case later drew attention from the Innocence Project, which said advances in DNA testing ultimately discredited the prosecution’s core forensic evidence.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
7 May 2026
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But whereas leftist thinkers starting with Marx saw the liberal ideal as totally discredited, a mere camouflage for capitalist power, Habermas kept faith with the utopian potential of liberalism.—
Adam Kirsch,
The Atlantic,
3 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Maligned.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/maligned. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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