1. speaking about someone or something in a critical and unfair way; saying harmful and often untrue things about
Usage: present participle of ‘malign’

Examples

• The politician accused his opponents of maligning his character.
• She was tired of people maligning her work without understanding it.
• The newspaper was criticized for maligning the company’s reputation.
• He spent years maligning his former business partner in public.
• The coach warned against maligning teammates behind their backs.
• Critics were maligning the film before it was even released.