maligned

[ muh-lahynd ]

adjective

1. spoken ill of; defamed or slandered:

   I pointed to my unweeded yard full of bees and waxed rhapsodic about the benefits of the maligned dandelion.

   Considered by many to be a usurper and murderer, Richard III is one of the most maligned kings in history.

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of malign ( def ).

Other Words From

• un·ma·ligned adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of maligned¹

malign ( def ) + -ed ²( def )

Example Sentences

Introducing the maligned bill was a condition of ACT joining the coalition led by the center-right National Party and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon.

From Salon

“Martha” doesn’t gloss over Stewart’s prickly, demanding personality, but it also makes the case that she was unfairly maligned — and ultimately prosecuted — because of her gender.

From Los Angeles Times

Kasaine wrote in her May 27 letter that she has been “maligned, harassed, bullied, and sidelined from my core responsibilities.”

From Los Angeles Times

Trump famously maligned John McCain for being taken as a prisoner of war in the Vietnam War.

From Salon

Some see Crowther as an unfairly maligned man of his time, and his effigy as an important part of the state’s history, warts and all.

From BBC