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Malignant vs Malign - What's the difference?

malignant | malign |

Malign is a related term of malignant.



As adjectives the difference between malignant and malign

is that malignant is harmful, malevolent, injurious while malign is evil or malignant in disposition, nature, intent or influence.

As a noun malignant

is 1823, The Retrospective Review (volume 7, page 11.

As a verb malign is

to make defamatory statements about; to slander or traduce.

malignant

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Harmful, malevolent, injurious.
  • * {{quote-book, year=1922, author=(Ben Travers), title=(A Cuckoo in the Nest)
  • , chapter=1 citation , passage=“[…] the awfully hearty sort of Christmas cards that people do send to other people that they don't know at all well. You know. The kind that have mottoes
  • (medicine) Tending to produce death; threatening a fatal issue.
  • malignant diphtheria
    a malignant tumor

    Antonyms

    * (medicine) benign

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • * 1823 , The Retrospective Review (volume 7, page 11)
  • As devout Stephen was carried to his burial by devout men, so is it just and equal that malignants should carry malignants
    ----

    malign

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • evil or malignant in disposition, nature, intent or influence.
  • * Francis Bacon
  • Witchcraft may be by operation of malign spirits.
  • malevolent.
  • * 1891 -
  • He was sure they [the stars] were arranged in some order which had a secret and malign significance.
  • (oncology) malignant
  • a malign ulcer
    (Francis Bacon)

    Antonyms

    * benign

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To make defamatory statements about; to slander or traduce.
  • * South
  • To be envied and shot at; to be maligned standing, and to be despised falling.
  • (archaic) To treat with malice; to show hatred toward; to abuse; to wrong.
  • * Spenser
  • The people practice what mischiefs and villainies they will against private men, whom they malign by stealing their goods, or murdering them.

    Synonyms

    * See also