malign#

malign adj

1 malignant, *malicious, malevolent, spiteful

Analogous words: inimical, hostile, rancorous, antipathetic, antagonistic (see corresponding nouns at ENMITY): venomous, virulent, *poisonous, toxic

Antonyms: benign

Contrasted words: benignant, kindly, *kind

2 *sinister, baleful, malefic, maleficent

Analogous words: threatening, menacing (see THREATEN): baneful, noxious, *pernicious, deleterious: disastrous, catastrophic, cataclysmic, calamitous (see corresponding nouns at DISASTER)

Antonyms: benign

Contrasted words: *favorable, auspicious, propitious: fortunate, *lucky, providential, happy

malign vb Malign, traduce, asperse, vilify, calumniate, defame, slander, libel mean to speak evil of for the purpose of injuring and without regard for the truth. Malign and traduce usually imply persecution; they commonly suggest such a blinding passion as hatred, violent prejudice, or bigotry as the motive.

Malign, however, although it carries the implication that the person, group, or race affected is the victim of lies, does not necessarily impute deliberate lying to the speaker or writer

{

the most maligned race in history

}

{

gossips had maligned the lady— Meredith

}

{

whether Richard III has been maligned by his earlier biographers or not is still an open question

}

{

other British historians have maligned Ward in order to build up the fame of "Chinese" Gordon— Richard Watts

}

Traduce carries these implications also, but it stresses the resulting ignominy more than malign

{

if I am traduced by ignorant tongues . . . 'tis but the fate of place and the rough brake that virtue must go through— Shak.

}

{

political bias or society scandalmongers fastened on them and traduced them and made them notorious— Gore

}

{

a bank- owned newspaper which . . . traduced the members of its adversary faction in the town— White

}

Asperse and vilify both imply efforts to destroy a person's good name or reputation.

Asperse suggests an intent to detract from one's reputation or to lower one in popular esteem by direct accusations or, more often, by such subtler methods as innuendo or spreading false reports

{

there were foul tongues to asperse a Douglas— Scott

}

{

found their characters assailed and their motives aspersed— Partington

}

{

he neither aspersed men's idealisms nor sniffed at their aspirations— Kronenberger

}

Vilify implies open methods and an intent to blacken one's good name and to make it vile and shameful; it usually suggests direct accusation coupled with violent abuse and scurrilous name-calling

{

with a malignant insanity, we oppose the measures, and ungratefully vilify the persons, of those whose sole object is our own peace and prosperity— Burke

}

{

the soldier of today . . . should not be blamed for falling back. He should be shot or hanged afterward . . . but he should not be vilified in newspapers— Kipling

}

Calumniate imputes malice to the speaker or writer and falsity to his aspersions or accusations

{

calumniating and ridiculing the Church which he had deserted— Macaulay

}

and often implies that the false and malicious statements have seriously damaged the good name of the victim

{

the verdict of history is that Benedict Arnold was not calumniated, but was justly charged with treason

}

Defame, slander, and libel are found both in general and in legal use, but their strict legal definitions are more or less affecting their literary meanings. All imply calumniation, but they differ from calum-niate mainly in their emphasis on the positive damaging effect of the lies.

Defame, both in legal and in literary use, suggests an actual injury to one's good name or a definite loss of repute or reputation

{

defaming and defacing, till she left not even Lancelot brave nor Galahad clean— Tennyson

}

{

Captain Basil Hall . . . was publicly accused of being an agent of the British government on a special mission to blacken and defame this country— Brooks

}

To slander, in legal use, is to defame orally; in general use it covers both written and printed as well as oral calumniation. It also, more strongly than defame or calumniate, connotes positive suffering on the part of the victim

{

slandered to death by villains, that dare as well answer a man indeed as I dare take a serpent by the tongue— Shak.

}

{

he was to be imprisoned again, his friends were to betray him, his name was to be slandered— WoodhamSmith

}

Libel (compare LIBEL n) is chiefly a legal term; in general use its implications are much the same. It implies the printing or writing of something that defames a person or his reputation and the publication or circulation of such printed or written matter

{

it is dangerous for a careless or malicious newspaper to libel individuals— Time

}

{

the month in which William Prynne was branded for libeling the bishops— Times Lit. Sup.

}

Analogous words: detract, *decry, disparage, depreciate, derogate: vituperate, revile (see SCOLD): defile, pollute (see CONTAMINATE)

Antonyms: defend

Contrasted words: vindicate, justify, *maintain: extol, eulogize, *praise