malign
Definitions
To speak harmful, false or unfairly critical things about someone
诽谤，中伤，污蔑
Evil or harmful in nature or influence
恶意的，有害的，险恶的
Root Breakdown
Native Englishmal- (bad) + -ign (from gen-, 'born/nature') = 'born bad, of an evil nature.' The adjective came first (a malign influence). As a verb, to malign someone is to paint them as evil — to speak of them as if they were born bad.
Root gen still carries 140 more wordsWhy It Means This
malign is the dark twin of benign. Both end in the gen- 'born' element: bene- (well) + gn = benign 'born good, harmless'; mal- (bad) + gn = malign 'born bad, harmful.' Doctors borrowed the pair for tumors (benign vs malignant), but in everyday English malign mostly means to slander.
Usage Guide
The g is silent: malign rhymes with 'line' (mə-LINE). Often passive: 'the much-maligned policy' = a policy that has been unfairly criticized — one of its most common forms.
Example Sentences
- 1.
It is unfair to malign her before hearing her side.
- 2.
The much-maligned referee was later proven right.
- 3.
They saw his influence as malign and self-serving.
Easily Confused
malign vs malignant — malign is the verb (to slander) and a literary adjective (malign forces). malignant is the everyday adjective, especially medical: a malignant tumor is cancerous and spreading. You malign a person; a tumor is malignant.