denigrate vs malign

denigrate is not an adjective while malign is an adjective.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
denigrate	No	No	Yes	No
malign	No	Yes	Yes	No

As verbs, malign is a hyponym of denigrate; that is, malign is a word with a more specific, narrower meaning than denigrate:

denigrate: charge falsely or with malicious intent; attack the good name and reputation of someone
malign: speak unfavorably about

Other hyponyms of denigrate include assassinate, libel, badmouth, drag through the mud, traduce.

denigrate (adjective)	malign (adjective)
	evil or harmful in nature or influence
	having or exerting a malignant influence

denigrate (verb)	malign (verb)
cause to seem less serious; play down	speak unfavorably about
charge falsely or with malicious intent; attack the good name and reputation of someone