maligned

American  

[muh-lahynd] / məˈlaɪnd /

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.

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verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of malign.

Other Word Forms

• unmaligned adjective

Etymology

Origin of maligned

malign ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

Once maligned for taking on debt to fuel costly media acquisitions, AT&T has since sold off those units and refocused on core telecommunications activities.

From MarketWatch

Despite their mainstream popularity, these groups were critically maligned—derided as “corporate rock” for their songs’ meticulous production.

From The Wall Street Journal

And I, for one, am tired of the way black holes get maligned!

From Literature

Richly talented but much maligned, England captain Harry Brook finally achieved redemption at Pallekele stadium in Kandy after a torrid few months -- and came of age as a leader.

From Barron's

It has been maligned for gas leaks, and was the reason a plane was grounded after passengers remonstrated against the smell wafting from the cargo hold.

From BBC