character assassination
noun
: the slandering of a person usually with the intention of destroying public confidence in that person
Synonyms
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
And, look, there's a reason why there's a lot of journalists at NBC News uncomfortable with this because many of our professional dealings with the RNC over the last six years have been met with gaslighting, have been met with character assassination.
—
Nbc Universal, NBC News, 24 Mar. 2024
Trump excels also at character assassination, ridiculing his critics almost daily.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 20 Mar. 2024
Being falsely painted as a liar when I was never given the full story or played any part of the song is character assassination.
—Grace Gavilanes, Peoplemag, 8 Dec. 2023
Mark Kelly Hunter Biden has adopted a legal strategy of threats and character assassination.
—Kimberley A. Strassel, WSJ, 6 July 2023
The game write-ups often don’t rate a headline on the first sports page, and Dylan Hernández is more focused on character assassination of Anthony Rendon than the actual games.
—Los Angeles Times, 21 Apr. 2023
This episode takes a deep dive into hit jobs and character assassination attacks against powerful women in the ancient and contemporary political world.
—Washington Examiner Staff, Washington Examiner, 1 Oct. 2020
The defense also argued the state’s case amounted to character assassination and raised the possibility there might have been two killers.
—Valerie Bauerlein, WSJ, 3 Mar. 2023
Twice rejected by the HFPA, longtime Austrian entertainment journalist Evie Sullivan said in a declaration to Flaa’s suit that she was subjected to threats and character assassination from a member of the group who accused her of trying to encroach on the HFPA’s turf.
—Los Angeles Times, 21 Feb. 2021
Nbc Universal, NBC News, 24 Mar. 2024
Trump excels also at character assassination, ridiculing his critics almost daily.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 20 Mar. 2024
Being falsely painted as a liar when I was never given the full story or played any part of the song is character assassination.
—Grace Gavilanes, Peoplemag, 8 Dec. 2023
Mark Kelly Hunter Biden has adopted a legal strategy of threats and character assassination.
—Kimberley A. Strassel, WSJ, 6 July 2023
The game write-ups often don’t rate a headline on the first sports page, and Dylan Hernández is more focused on character assassination of Anthony Rendon than the actual games.
—Los Angeles Times, 21 Apr. 2023
This episode takes a deep dive into hit jobs and character assassination attacks against powerful women in the ancient and contemporary political world.
—Washington Examiner Staff, Washington Examiner, 1 Oct. 2020
The defense also argued the state’s case amounted to character assassination and raised the possibility there might have been two killers.
—Valerie Bauerlein, WSJ, 3 Mar. 2023
Twice rejected by the HFPA, longtime Austrian entertainment journalist Evie Sullivan said in a declaration to Flaa’s suit that she was subjected to threats and character assassination from a member of the group who accused her of trying to encroach on the HFPA’s turf.
—Los Angeles Times, 21 Feb. 2021
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'character assassination.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1822, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of character assassination was
in 1822
Dictionary Entries Near character assassination
Cite this Entry
“Character assassination.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/character%20assassination. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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