MALIGN Synonyms: 127 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'malign' different from other adjectives like it?

The words baleful and sinister are common synonyms of malign . While all three words mean "seriously threatening evil or disaster," malign applies to what is inherently evil or harmful. // the malign effects of racism

Q: When could 'baleful' be used to replace 'malign'?

In some situations, the words baleful and malign are roughly equivalent. However, baleful imputes perniciousness or destructiveness to something whether working openly or covertly. // exerting a corrupt and baleful influence

Q: When would 'sinister' be a good substitute for 'malign'?

The synonyms sinister and malign are sometimes interchangeable, but sinister suggests a general or vague feeling of fear or apprehension on the part of the observer. // a sinister aura haunts the place

malign 1 of 2

adjective

mə-ˈlīn

Definition of malign

as in malicious

having or showing a desire to cause someone pain or suffering for the sheer enjoyment of it both parties to the divorce showed a malign desire to make each other's future life utterly miserable

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malign

2 of 2

verb

as in to libel

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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How is the word malign different from other adjectives like it?

The words baleful and sinister are common synonyms of malign. While all three words mean "seriously threatening evil or disaster," malign applies to what is inherently evil or harmful.

the malign effects of racism

When could baleful be used to replace malign?

In some situations, the words baleful and malign are roughly equivalent. However, baleful imputes perniciousness or destructiveness to something whether working openly or covertly.

exerting a corrupt and baleful influence

When would sinister be a good substitute for malign?

The synonyms sinister and malign are sometimes interchangeable, but sinister suggests a general or vague feeling of fear or apprehension on the part of the observer.

a sinister aura haunts the place

Example Sentences

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 malign

Adjective

North Korea, Russia, and China could use cryptocurrency to move money, bypass controls, and expand malign influence. — Richard Nephew, Fortune, 2 July 2026 The prices, the vast distances fans have to cover, the hijacking of the tournament by malign political forces, the environmental damage that all of this travel is causing… there is plenty to take the edge off the primal joy that the football has given us. — Nick Miller, New York Times, 23 June 2026

Verb

What is often maligned as one of the worst tracks for racing due to the lack of overtaking opportunities will now have an extra race, surely opening the door for even more criticism. — Luke Smith, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026 Slack continues to be a bright spot in the results — a major reversal from a couple years ago, when the company was maligned for paying too much to acquire the workplace messaging app during the Covid-19 pandemic. — Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for malign

Recent Examples of Synonyms for malign

Adjective

The malicious system component silently installs apps that look like weather tools, app lockers and other everyday utilities.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2026
The Federal Bureau of Investigation also warned that malicious actors could exploit the vulnerabilities to execute code remotely, putting sensitive data and networks at risk.

— Jenny Lee, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of malicious

Verb

In 2022, Manhattan Federal Judge Jed Rakoff, who presided over both trials, decided The Times was not liable for defamation while jurors were deliberating, that the error amounted to unfortunate editorializing but not libel.

— Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 22 Apr. 2025
As a new, inexpensive Chevrolet appeared in 1927 and The Dearborn Independent was sued for libeling a number of Jewish businessmen, Ford threw in the towel and apologized.

— George Pendle, airmail.news, 15 Mar. 2025

Definition of libel

Adjective

Participants fell into their roles a little too well and, after a prisoner rebellion, increasingly cruel forms of punishment from the guards and a number of students suffering mental breakdowns, the experiment was ended on the sixth day.

— Marlow Stern, Variety, 25 Oct. 2026
But these townswomen — whether the undersexed Bakerwoman (Ella Bruccoleri ) or the prim, cruel busybody the Tailor’s Wife (a deliciously scheming Elizabeth Debicki) — are deeply unhappy with their own lot in life.

— Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of cruel

Verb

None of this excuses Chris’ malicious behavior, not just toward Carrie but toward her future stepsister, Brooklyn (Rowan Danielle), and the school as a whole, mostly via a fake Instagram account devoted to smearing students and faculty alike.

— ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 21 Oct. 2026
Her makeup, crafted by Diana Shin, was equally as striking and overtly feminine, featuring pink shadow smeared in her crease, shimmer on her lids, falsies glued to her top lash line and burgundy lip liner accenting her lips.

— Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of smear

Adjective

The vicious cycle of the current model, of course, is that to become marketable a team needs to get and retain good players, and to do that a school has to spend money, which cycles the whole thing back to the start.

— Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026
Governments were expected to rescue struggling banks, which held large amounts of sovereign debt, creating a vicious cycle.

— Jenni Reid,Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of vicious

Verb

The two have fought on the commissioners court dais and now are vilifying one another in their campaigns for the County Judge seat.

— Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Oct. 2026
One need look no further back in history than 20th-century Europe to see what can happen when populations and government officials begin vilifying the Jewish people.

— Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of vilify

Adjective

Manchester police say over the weekend, vandals wreaked havoc leaving several hateful, antisemitic, racist and homophobic slurs on people's property.

— Paul Burton, CBS News, 19 Oct. 2026
Ossoff went a step further, accusing Collins himself of amplifying hateful content and saying that his former congressional aide had intervened on behalf of a Holocaust denier.

— AJC.com, AJC.com, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of hateful

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“Malign.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/malign. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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