Nefarious vs Malign - What's the difference?
nefarious | malign |
Sinful, villainous, criminal, or wicked, especially when noteworthy or notorious for such characteristics.
* 1828 , , The Red Rover , ch. 2:
* 1877 , , The Life of Cicero , ch. 9:
* 1921 , , The Indiscretions of Archie , ch. 26:
* 2009 Oct. 14, Monica Davey, "
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
As adjectives the difference between nefarious and malign
is that nefarious is sinful, villainous, criminal, or wicked, especially when noteworthy or notorious for such characteristics while malign is evil or malignant in disposition, nature, intent or influence.As a verb malign is
to make defamatory statements about; to slander or traduce.nefarious
English
Adjective
(en adjective)- "If the vessel be no fair-trading slaver, nor a common cruiser of his Majesty, it is as tangible as the best man's reasoning, that she may be neither more nor less than the ship of that nefarious pirate the Red Rover."
- Mommsen . . . declares that Catiline in particular was "one of the most nefarious' men in that ' nefarious age. His villanies belong to the criminal records, not to history."
- The fact that the room was still in darkness made it obvious that something nefarious was afoot. Plainly there was dirty work in preparation at the cross-roads.
Fact Checker Finds Falsehoods in Remarks," New York Times (retrieved 12 May 2014):
- “I try to let everyone back here in Minnesota know exactly the nefarious activities that are taking place in Washington.”
Usage notes
* Commonly used in contexts involving villainous plans, conspiracies, or actions, as in: :* 1909 , , The Lady of the Shroud , book 7: ::: The whole nefarious scheme was one of the "put-up jobs" which are part of the dirty work of a certain order of statecraft.Synonyms
* evil, iniquitous, sinister, underhanded, vile * See alsoDerived terms
* nefariously * nefariousnessReferences
*malign
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.
