| Main Entry: | malign |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | hurtful, injurious |
Synonyms: |
antagonistic, antipathetic, bad, baleful, baneful, deleterious, despiteful, destructive, detrimental, evil, harmful, hateful, hostile, inimical, malefic, maleficent, malevolent, malignant, noxious, pernicious, rancorous, sinister, spiteful, vicious, wicked |
Antonyms: |
aiding, benign, helpful, nice |
| Main Entry: | malign |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | slander, defame |
Synonyms: |
abuse, accuse, asperse, backbite, bad-mouth, befoul, besmirch, bespatter, blacken, calumniate, cast aspersion, curse, decry, defile, denigrate, depreciate, derogate, detract, dirty*, disparage, harm, injure, insult, misrepresent, mudsling, opprobriate, pollute, rap, revile, roast, run down, scandalize, slur, smear, soil, spatter, speak ill of, stain, sully, taint, take a swipe at, tarnish, tear down, traduce, vilify, villainize, vituperate |
Antonyms: |
praise, uphold |
| Main Entry: | assail |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | attack, usually with words |
Synonyms: |
abuse, assault, bash, berate, beset, blast, blister, bust, charge, come at, criticize, encounter, have at, impugn, invade, lambaste, lay into, malign, maltreat, molest, revile, set upon, trash*, vilify, work over |
| Notes: | to assail a task is to approach it with the intent of mastering it, from Latin salire 'to leap'; assault is also based on this word and assail and assault can be synonyms |
| Main Entry: | attack |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | assault verbally |
Synonyms: |
abuse, berate, blame, blitz, censure, criticize, impugn, jump down one's throat, jump on one's case, lay into, malign, refute, reprove, revile, shoot down, stretch, vilify |
Antonyms: |
defend, resist, submit, withstand |
| Main Entry: | bad-mouth |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | to denigrate |
Synonyms: |
belittle, criticize, cut down to size, dis, disparage, dump on, find fault, knock*, malign, mudsling, pan, pooh pooh, put down*, rap, rip, roast, run down, slam, slander, take a dig at, take down a peg, tear down, tear to pieces |
| Main Entry: | blacken |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | malign; smear |
Synonyms: |
asperse, attack, bad-mouth, blot, blotch, calumniate, decry, defame, defile, denigrate, dishonor, do a number on, give a black eye, knock*, libel, malign, rip up and down, rip*, slander, slur, smudge, stain, sully, taint, tarnish, traduce, vilify |
Antonyms: |
compliment, enhance, praise |
| Main Entry: | decry |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | criticize, blame |
Synonyms: |
abuse, asperse, bad-mouth, belittle, calumniate, censure, condemn, cry down, defame, denounce, depreciate, derogate, detract, devalue, diminish, discount, discredit, disgrace, disparage, do a number on, downgrade, dump on, hit*, knock*, lower, malign, mark down, minimize, opprobriate, pan, poor-mouth, put down, rail against, rap, reprehend, reprobate, run down, slam*, take away, take swipe at, throw stones at, traduce, underestimate, underrate, undervalue, vilify, write off |
Antonyms: |
applaud, compliment, exalt, laud, praise |
| Main Entry: | defame |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | inflict libel or slander |
Synonyms: |
asperse, bad-mouth, belie, besmirch, blacken, blister, calumniate, cast aspersions on, cast slur on, denigrate, detract, discredit, disgrace, dishonor, disparage, do a number on, knock, malign, pan, put zingers on, roast, scandalize, scorch, slam, smear, speak evil of, stigmatize, throw mud at, traduce, vilify, villainize, vituperate |
Antonyms: |
approve, commend, compliment, exalt, praise |
| Main Entry: | depreciate |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | belittle, ridicule |
Synonyms: |
abuse, asperse, attack, calumniate, censure, clamor against, condemn, contemn, decry, defame, denigrate, denounce, deprecate, deride, derogate, detract, discount, discountenance, discredit, disgrace, disparage, dispraise, fault, find fault with, humble, knock, look down on, lower, malign, minimize, put down, rap, revile, roast, run down, scoff at, scorn, slam, slander, slight, slur, smear, sneer at, spurn, take down a peg, traduce, underestimate, underrate, undervalue, vilify |
Antonyms: |
approve, commend, compliment, exalt, laud, praise, recommend |
| Main Entry: | disparage |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | criticize; detract from |
Synonyms: |
abuse, belittle, chill*, cry down, decry, defame, degrade, deject, demoralize, denigrate, deprecate, depreciate, deride, derogate, dis, discourage, discredit, disdain, dishearten, dismiss, dispirit, dispraise, downcry, dump on, lower, malign, minimize, pan, put down, put hooks in, rap, ridicule, roast, run down, scorch, scorn, slam*, slander, smear, sour grapes, tear down, traduce, underestimate, underrate, undervalue, vilify, write off |
Antonyms: |
approve, commend, compliment, flatter, laud, praise, sanction |