malign vs smear

smear vs malign

malign is not a noun while smear is a noun.

malign is an adjective but smear is not an adjective.

malign and smear both are verbs.

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

As verbs, smear is a hypernym of malign; that is, smear is a word with a broader meaning than malign:

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

Other hypernyms of malign include asperse, besmirch, calumniate, defame, denigrate, slander, smirch, sully.

malign (noun)	smear (noun)
	an act that brings discredit to the person who does it
	a blemish made by dirt
	a thin tissue or blood sample spread on a glass slide and stained for cytologic examination and diagnosis under a microscope
	slanderous defamation

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

malign (verb)	smear (verb)
speak unfavorably about	charge falsely or with malicious intent; attack the good name and reputation of someone
	make a smudge on; soil by smudging
	stain by smearing or daubing with a dirty substance
	cover (a surface) by smearing (a substance) over it

Difference between malign and smear

© WordCmp.com 2024, CC-BY 4.0 / CC-BY-SA 3.0.