maligning 1 of 3

noun

Definition of maligningnext
as in defamation
the making of false statements that damage another's reputation public maligning of a person can actually be grounds for a lawsuit

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

maligning

2 of 3

adjective

as in insulting

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

maligning

3 of 3

verb

present participle of malign
as in smearing
to make untrue and harmful statements about a candidate who believes that it is possible to win an election without maligning anyone

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for maligning
  1. defamation
  2. insulting
  3. libel
  4. disparaging
  5. degrading
  6. demeaning
  7. discrediting
  8. libelous
Noun
  • The other verdict, for more than $83 million in her earlier defamation case, is also on appeal.
    Democrat-Gazette staff from wire reports, arkansasonline.com, 23 Nov. 2024
  • Trump’s imminent presidency will not get him out of his civil cases, however, and the president-elect’s appeals of rulings against him in Carroll’s two defamation cases and the civil fraud trial against Trump and his associates will continue.
    Alison Durkee, Forbes, 22 Nov. 2024
Definition of defamation
Adjective
  • Joe Biden denounced offensive jokes that podcast host Tony Hinchcliffe made about Puerto Rico during Donald Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally over the weekend, but the president also made a comment some prominent Republicans quickly called insulting to the former president's supporters.
    Karissa Waddick, USA TODAY, 30 Oct. 2024
  • No matter, the response was swift and harsh from the often insulting and foul-mouthed Trump and other Republicans.
    Dominic Patten, Deadline, 30 Oct. 2024
Definition of insulting
Noun
  • The series’s portrait of John, now a remarried grandfather, bears no trace of the litigious figure who hired Trump attorney L. Lin Wood early on to sue media outlets for libel.
    Alessa Dominguez, Vulture, 22 Nov. 2024
  • In September 2022, PEOPLE reported that the star was dating another of his lawyers, Joelle Rich, who represented him in his 2020 U.K. libel suit against British tabloid The Sun.
    Raechal Shewfelt, EW.com, 2 Nov. 2024
Definition of libel
Adjective
  • Prior to appearing on Cunningham's show on Monday, Huggins made more disparaging remarks about Xavier.
    Emily DeLetter, The Enquirer, 10 May 2023
  • Will Smith was given the Golden Raspberry Awards’ lone non-disparaging prize, with Smith earning the Redeemer Award after landing an actual Oscar nod for his role in King RIchard; Nicolas Cage and Jamie Dornan were also considered for the quasi-honor.
    Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 26 Mar. 2022
Definition of disparaging
Adjective
  • More than 2 million people in the U.S. lack indoor plumbing and more live with failing sewage systems that can result in waste backing up into homes or pooling on the ground, threatening public health and degrading basic dignity, the EPA said.
    San Diego Union-Tribune, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Feb. 2024
  • Read: ‘Shallow Hal’ and the never-ending fat joke Among Lost’s most degrading tropes was Hurley’s obsession with junk food.
    Rebecca Bodenheimer, The Atlantic, 30 Sep. 2024
Definition of degrading
Adjective
  • Even by his already demeaning standards, Trump's rallies and events have also taken a dark turn this fall.
    David Faris, Newsweek, 1 Nov. 2024
  • Oz winces when Al throws him a big old necklace from the family jewel case; the gesture is completely demeaning.
    Andy Andersen, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2024
Definition of demeaning
Verb
  • Many of the conspiracy theories have prompted FEMA to create a page on its site discrediting rumors and false information about its response to Hurricane Helene.
    Nicole Sganga, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2024
  • Still, the United States didn’t recognize Haiti as a nation until 1862, during the Civil War, when American leadership was looking for any support in discrediting slavery.
    Chadd Scott, Forbes, 10 Oct. 2024
Definition of discrediting
Adjective
  • Newspapers also worried about potentially libelous posts.
    Mike Savino, Hartford Courant, 8 July 2024
  • And finally, modern far-right terrorists still frequently invoke the same libelous assertion that white women must be protected from licentious Black men.
    TIME, TIME, 14 May 2024
Definition of libelous
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Thesaurus Entries Near maligning

maligned

maligning

malignity

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Maligning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/maligning. Accessed 2 Dec. 2024.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on maligning

Nglish: Translation of maligning for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of maligning for Arabic Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Plural and Possessive Names: A Guide

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)

9 Superb Owl Words

15 Words That Used to Mean Something Different
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
Commonly Confused Words Quiz Vol. 3 Do you have a (flare/flair) for choosing the righ...