malign

1. (transitive) To make defamatory statements about; to slander or traduce.Examples: "To be envied and shot at; to be maligned standing, and to be despised falling."; "The obvious joy of England's players and supporters after that dramatic finale was another indicator that the Uefa Nations League, mocked and maligned at its inception, is capturing the public's imagination."; "Yet, even as Democratic party leadership has decried this mass deportation plan and even as the bill maligns Democrats as victimizing Americans through its policy of “open borders,” 48 Democratic members of Congress voted for this GOP-backed bill."transitive

2. (transitive, archaic) To treat with malice; to show hatred toward; to abuse; to wrong.Examples: "The people practice what mischiefs and villainies they will against private men, whom they malign by stealing their goods, or murdering them."archaictransitive