smirch vs malign

smirch is a noun but malign is not a noun.

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

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

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

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

smirch (noun)	malign (noun)
an act that brings discredit to the person who does it
a blemish made by dirt

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

smirch (verb)	malign (verb)
charge falsely or with malicious intent; attack the good name and reputation of someone	speak unfavorably about
smear so as to make dirty or stained