malign

Definition of malign

evil and harmful

Synonyms for malign

• malevolent
• inimical
• malicious

malign in a Sentence

1. His malign influence had a detrimental effect on the team's morale.

Why malign Matters for GRE & SAT

"malign" is a adjective that means "evil and harmful" closely related to words like "malevolent", "inimical", "malicious". As a word starting with M, it belongs to a cluster of GRE and SAT vocabulary that test-takers often encounter in Verbal Reasoning, Text Completion, and Reading Comprehension sections.

On the GRE, understanding "malign" helps you distinguish between closely related answer choices in Sentence Equivalence questions. On the SAT, recognizing this word in context strengthens your performance on Craft & Structure and Words in Context questions. Seeing how "malign" is used in sentences — like the examples above — builds the contextual understanding that standardized tests reward.

Study tip: Start with the definition and part of speech (adjective). Then learn its 3 synonyms to build a word network. Finally, practice with spaced repetition to move "malign" into long-term memory.

How to Remember malign

One effective way to remember "malign" (adjective) is to group it with similar words you already know: "malevolent" and "inimical" and "malicious". When you encounter "malign" on a test, these synonym connections help you quickly recall its meaning — "evil and harmful".

Use flashcard apps with spaced repetition to review "malign" at increasing intervals until it becomes automatic.

More Vocabulary Words Starting with M

• macabre — having a quality of horror or grimness
• magisterial — possessing great authority
• magnanimous — noble and generous in spirit
• magnify — To make something appear larger than it is; to intensify
• maintain — To continue to have or keep something in existence
• maintain — To cause or enable something to continue
• major — Important, serious, or significant
• majority — The greater number or part of something
• malevolent — showing ill will or wishing harm to others
• malfeasance — wrongdoing or misconduct, especially by a public official