1
as in attacked
to criticize harshly and usually publicly
the union organizers assailed the chemical company for failing to provide a safe working environment
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in assaulted
to take sudden, violent action against
the small birds assailed the larger one that had threatened their nest
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of assailed
Roberts once signed on to a Kagan dissent that assailed the shadow docket.
—
Ken B. Morales,
ProPublica,
1 July 2026
It was passed following the signing of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which was implemented during the administration of then-President Barack Obama — an agreement Trump repeatedly assailed before pulling out of it in 2018.
—
Daniel Flatley,
Fortune,
28 June 2026
Lander assailed Goldman for not being tough enough on Israel over its military action against Palestinians.
—
ABC News,
23 June 2026
Lander has assailed Goldman for accepting AIPAC’s endorsement and for voting to send military aid to Israel, which Lander has vowed to oppose.
—
Russell Berman,
The Atlantic,
7 June 2026
The former increases excitability and preparedness for movement in response to the tennis equivalent of being assailed by a woolly mammoth.
—
Charlotte Harpur,
New York Times,
3 June 2026
In 2018, that monopoly was assailed by signs and portents.
—
Literary Hub,
18 May 2026
And so rivals again assailed Becerra’s performance as state attorney general and Health and Human Services secretary in the Biden administration.
—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
15 May 2026
In 2023, senators assailed Ticketmaster, which is owned by Live Nation Entertainment, for its lack of transparency and inability to block bots from purchasing tickets on behalf of scalpers.
—
Noe Padilla,
USA Today,
13 May 2026
Ken B. Morales,
ProPublica,
1 July 2026
It was passed following the signing of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which was implemented during the administration of then-President Barack Obama — an agreement Trump repeatedly assailed before pulling out of it in 2018.
—
Daniel Flatley,
Fortune,
28 June 2026
Lander assailed Goldman for not being tough enough on Israel over its military action against Palestinians.
—
ABC News,
23 June 2026
Lander has assailed Goldman for accepting AIPAC’s endorsement and for voting to send military aid to Israel, which Lander has vowed to oppose.
—
Russell Berman,
The Atlantic,
7 June 2026
The former increases excitability and preparedness for movement in response to the tennis equivalent of being assailed by a woolly mammoth.
—
Charlotte Harpur,
New York Times,
3 June 2026
In 2018, that monopoly was assailed by signs and portents.
—
Literary Hub,
18 May 2026
And so rivals again assailed Becerra’s performance as state attorney general and Health and Human Services secretary in the Biden administration.
—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
15 May 2026
In 2023, senators assailed Ticketmaster, which is owned by Live Nation Entertainment, for its lack of transparency and inability to block bots from purchasing tickets on behalf of scalpers.
—
Noe Padilla,
USA Today,
13 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for assailed
Verb
-
Police said former professional soccer player Badea and another man attacked Zeraati before fleeing in a getaway car driven by Stana and then flying out of the country from Heathrow Airport.
-
The three men who attacked our CBS News Chicago crew near Adler Planetarium before pointing a gun at people in Brighton Park on Monday afternoon have been charged.
Verb
-
The singer, who notably assaulted ex-girlfriend and Fenty beauty mogul Rihanna the night before the 2009 Grammy Awards, pleaded not guilty last year in the Diaw case.
-
One of the suspects also assaulted and sprayed paint on a person, and when officers tried to detain the suspects several blocks away at Turk and Taylor streets, other people surrounded and obstructed the officers, police said.
Verb
-
In a scathing Instagram post this morning, LuPone, who has long been devoted to her equally enamored gay fandom, slammed Turkey’s latest homophobic move.
-
Investigators said the Tesla slammed through a brick home at a high rate of speed, fatally striking Avila.
Verb
-
Kerr’s home in Florida was raided by the FBI on the same day.
-
Emilee Hackney is an eighth-generation Appalachian who grew up in the coalfields of southwest Virginia in a family so impoverished her parents occasionally raided her and her brother’s piggy banks to pay the mortgage and buy groceries.
Verb
-
Davis remembered once being scolded as a teenager by her mother after being caught speaking poorly of a classmate.
-
Well versed in what the lunar surface truly offers, Britt scolded a number of arty accounts of lunar territory promulgated by both NASA and commercial space ventures.
Verb
-
When Daemon stormed into his dining room to seize Harrenhal under Rhaenyra’s name, Ser Simon was super polite about the whole thing.
-
The Young Lords, a group of Puerto Rican activists, stormed and occupied the Lincoln Hospital in the Bronx, New York, for 12 hours.
Verb
-
The suspect’s vehicle entered a closed roadway on Interstate 20 at the 420 exit near Aledo and struck an 18-wheeler, the release states.
-
According to the department, a third-party contractor accidentally struck a power line while working in the area, causing a brief power outage at the Adamsville Pump Station.
Cite this Entry
“Assailed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/assailed. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
