as in smeared
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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Recent Examples of maligned
The conference was maligned all year and played down to its reputation with only four total bids and just one team advancing to the Sweet 16.
—
Jon Wilner, Mercury News, 31 Mar. 2025
Much of black metal has typically maligned Christianity and other institutional religions, and some practitioners took parts in Norwegian church burnings in the 1990s.
—Mikal Gilmore, Rolling Stone, 30 Mar. 2025
The Iraq War film was both critically maligned and a commercial bomb that can only be attributed to hubris, vis-à-vis the allure of new filmmaking technology.
—Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 27 Mar. 2025
At other times, he’s been maligned because of an inability to make 3-point shots — his worst performances aligning with BYU’s toughest losses.
—Sam Blum, The Athletic, 25 Mar. 2025
Brown said he is being unfairly maligned.
—Justin Wingerter, The Denver Post, 21 Mar. 2025
Already maligned with controversy surrounding both stars Gal Gadot and Rachel Zegler, the studio’s latest introduces a number of aggressively irrelevant details to further complicate its new take on an unimpeachable classic.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 21 Mar. 2025
For decades Middle East Studies centers have been maligned as left-wing hotbeds that, in their critics’ view, are excessively hostile to Israel, overly friendly to Islam, and troublingly uninterested in terrorism.
—Lydia Kiesling, TIME, 20 Mar. 2025
Over the last few years, reexamining the lives of women maligned by the media, from Marcia Clark to Britney Spears, has become something of a cultural touchstone, often to positive effect.
—Aja Romano, Vox, 4 Mar. 2025
Jon Wilner, Mercury News, 31 Mar. 2025
Much of black metal has typically maligned Christianity and other institutional religions, and some practitioners took parts in Norwegian church burnings in the 1990s.
—Mikal Gilmore, Rolling Stone, 30 Mar. 2025
The Iraq War film was both critically maligned and a commercial bomb that can only be attributed to hubris, vis-à-vis the allure of new filmmaking technology.
—Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 27 Mar. 2025
At other times, he’s been maligned because of an inability to make 3-point shots — his worst performances aligning with BYU’s toughest losses.
—Sam Blum, The Athletic, 25 Mar. 2025
Brown said he is being unfairly maligned.
—Justin Wingerter, The Denver Post, 21 Mar. 2025
Already maligned with controversy surrounding both stars Gal Gadot and Rachel Zegler, the studio’s latest introduces a number of aggressively irrelevant details to further complicate its new take on an unimpeachable classic.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 21 Mar. 2025
For decades Middle East Studies centers have been maligned as left-wing hotbeds that, in their critics’ view, are excessively hostile to Israel, overly friendly to Islam, and troublingly uninterested in terrorism.
—Lydia Kiesling, TIME, 20 Mar. 2025
Over the last few years, reexamining the lives of women maligned by the media, from Marcia Clark to Britney Spears, has become something of a cultural touchstone, often to positive effect.
—Aja Romano, Vox, 4 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Maligned.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/maligned. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
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