Insult vs Malign - What's the difference?
insult | malign |
(obsolete) To behave in an obnoxious and superior manner (over, against).
*, II.3.3:
To offend (someone) by being rude, insensitive or insolent; to demean or affront (someone).
(obsolete) To leap or trample upon; to make a sudden onset upon.
An action or form of speech deliberately intended to be rude.
* Savage
* 1987 , Jamie Lee Curtis, A Fish Called Wanda :
Anything that causes offence/offense, e.g. by being of an unacceptable quality.
(medicine) Something causing disease or injury to the body or bodily processes.
* 2006 , Stephen G. Lomber, Jos J. Eggermont, Reprogramming the Cerebral Cortex (page 415)
* 2011 , Terence Allen and Graham Cowling, The Cell: A Very Short Introduction , Oxford 2011, p. 96:
(obsolete) The act of leaping on; onset; attack.
evil or malignant in disposition, nature, intent or influence.
* Francis Bacon
malevolent.
* 1891 -
(oncology) malignant
To make defamatory statements about; to slander or traduce.
* South
(archaic) To treat with malice; to show hatred toward; to abuse; to wrong.
* Spenser
In transitive terms the difference between insult and malign
is that insult is to offend (someone) by being rude, insensitive or insolent; to demean or affront (someone) while malign is to make defamatory statements about; to slander or traduce.As verbs the difference between insult and malign
is that insult is to behave in an obnoxious and superior manner (over, against) while malign is to make defamatory statements about; to slander or traduce.As a noun insult
is an action or form of speech deliberately intended to be rude.As an adjective malign is
evil or malignant in disposition, nature, intent or influence.insult
English
Verb
(en verb)- thou hast lost all, poor thou art, dejected, in pain of body, grief of mind, thine enemies insult over thee, thou art as bad as Job […].
- (Shakespeare)
Synonyms
* (to offend) abuse, affront, offend, slight * See alsoAntonyms
*complimentNoun
(en noun)- the ruthless sneer that insult adds to grief
- To call you stupid would be an insult to stupid people!
- The way the orchestra performed tonight was an insult to my ears.
- Within the complex genome of most organisms there are alternative multiple pathways of proteins which can help the individual cell survive a variety of insults , for example radiation, toxic chemicals, heat, excessive or reduced oxygen.
- (Dryden)
Synonyms
* (deliberatedly intended to be rude) abuse (uncountable), affront, offence (UK)/offense (US), pejorative, slam, slight, slur * (thing causing offence by being of unacceptable quality) disgrace, outrage * See alsoAntonyms
*complimentAnagrams
* * English heteronymsmalign
English
Adjective
(en adjective)- Witchcraft may be by operation of malign spirits.
- He was sure they [the stars] were arranged in some order which had a secret and malign significance.
- a malign ulcer
- (Francis Bacon)
Antonyms
* benignVerb
(en verb)- To be envied and shot at; to be maligned standing, and to be despised falling.
- The people practice what mischiefs and villainies they will against private men, whom they malign by stealing their goods, or murdering them.
