character assassination

noun

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Definition of character assassination

: the slandering of a person usually with the intention of destroying public confidence in that person

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Examples of character assassination in a Sentence

None of those rumors are true. She's been the victim of character assassination. the actor's lawyers charge that the tabloid engaged in a deliberate campaign of character assassination

Recent Examples on the Web Censorship, character assassination, and calls for literal book-burning are the Left’s tools of choice when faced with opposing views. — Victor Davis Hanson, National Review, "Progressives Are No Longer Defenders of Free Expression," 3 Dec. 2020 When the president came after his lieutenant governor, Kemp let the character assassination fly. — Barnini Chakraborty, Washington Examiner, "Georgia governor under fire from Trump and GOP allies over election silence," 18 Nov. 2020 The character assassination of the eminently qualified Judge (the late Bob Bork was a great friend of NR, and an even greater friend of the Constitution) proved a culture war broadside. — Jack Fowler, National Review, "Biden, Never," 30 Oct. 2020 Research Lab partner for the 3rd and final webinar on character assassination and the 2020 presidential race. — Washington Examiner Staff, Washington Examiner, "Character Assassination in the 2020 Presidential Race: A New Low?," 21 Oct. 2020 Or the borker—the man who helped redefine how low political character assassination could go? — Libby Sternberg, WSJ, "How Would Jesus Vote? Nobody Knows," 15 Oct. 2020 In fact, the Democrats' assault on Bork was so out of the ordinary that the term 'Borking' a judicial nominee came to represent the character assassination of an otherwise qualified nominee. — Arkansas Online, "OPINION | TIM GRIFFIN: Return respect to nomination process," 4 Oct. 2020 Bork became the target of a vicious campaign of character assassination in which Senator Ted Kennedy was a prime rabble-rouser. — Mario Loyola, National Review, "Fill the Supreme Court Vacancy Now," 22 Sep. 2020 Bush’s next nominee, the quiet and unassuming Clarence Thomas, proved as controversial as Robert Bork, with Democrats once again engaging in despicable character assassination against the nominee. — Mario Loyola, National Review, "Fill the Supreme Court Vacancy Now," 22 Sep. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'character assassination.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near character assassination

charact

character

character actor

character assassination

character dance

characterful

character-gradient

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Last Updated

15 Feb 2021

Cite this Entry

“Character assassination.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/character%20assassination. Accessed 2 Mar. 2021.

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