slander vs malign

slander is a noun but malign is not a noun.

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

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

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

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

slander (noun)	malign (noun)
an abusive attack on a person's character or good name
words falsely spoken that damage the reputation of another

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

slander (verb)	malign (verb)
charge falsely or with malicious intent; attack the good name and reputation of someone	speak unfavorably about