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
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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
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Recent Examples of assailed
Raskin assailed Bondi for failing to release all of the government's Epstein files as Congress directed while inadvertently revealing the names of women who accused Epstein of abuse.
—
Bart Jansen, USA Today, 11 Feb. 2026
Trump chose Powell to lead the Fed in 2017 but this year has relentlessly assailed him for not cutting interest rates quickly enough.
—Christopher Rugaber, Fortune, 31 Jan. 2026
Trump picked Powell to lead the Fed in 2017 but has been relentlessly assailed him for not cutting interest rates quickly enough.
—Matt Ott, Chicago Tribune, 30 Jan. 2026
Trump chose Powell to lead the Fed in 2017 but more recently has assailed him relentlessly for not cutting interest rates as quickly as the president would prefer.
—Christopher Rugaber, Los Angeles Times, 30 Jan. 2026
Some Republicans have assailed the agency as overregulating industry.
—Nick Coltrain, Denver Post, 27 Jan. 2026
In the final days of his presidency, Joe Biden was similarly assailed for granting a broad pardon to his son Hunter for any offenses committed over the span of more than a decade—as well as for preemptively pardoning a swath of other members of his family and administration.
—Bernadette Meyler, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
DeSantis has continued his call to slash property taxes in the state, a proposal that Democrats have assailed as an unnecessary move that could threaten the delivery of basic local services.
—CBS News, 11 Dec. 2025
The climactic scene, in which Washizu, the Macbeth figure, played by Toshiro Mifune, is assailed by his enemies’ arrows, remains one of my favorites in all of cinema.
—Vince Aletti, New Yorker, 5 Dec. 2025
Bart Jansen, USA Today, 11 Feb. 2026
Trump chose Powell to lead the Fed in 2017 but this year has relentlessly assailed him for not cutting interest rates quickly enough.
—Christopher Rugaber, Fortune, 31 Jan. 2026
Trump picked Powell to lead the Fed in 2017 but has been relentlessly assailed him for not cutting interest rates quickly enough.
—Matt Ott, Chicago Tribune, 30 Jan. 2026
Trump chose Powell to lead the Fed in 2017 but more recently has assailed him relentlessly for not cutting interest rates as quickly as the president would prefer.
—Christopher Rugaber, Los Angeles Times, 30 Jan. 2026
Some Republicans have assailed the agency as overregulating industry.
—Nick Coltrain, Denver Post, 27 Jan. 2026
In the final days of his presidency, Joe Biden was similarly assailed for granting a broad pardon to his son Hunter for any offenses committed over the span of more than a decade—as well as for preemptively pardoning a swath of other members of his family and administration.
—Bernadette Meyler, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
DeSantis has continued his call to slash property taxes in the state, a proposal that Democrats have assailed as an unnecessary move that could threaten the delivery of basic local services.
—CBS News, 11 Dec. 2025
The climactic scene, in which Washizu, the Macbeth figure, played by Toshiro Mifune, is assailed by his enemies’ arrows, remains one of my favorites in all of cinema.
—Vince Aletti, New Yorker, 5 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for assailed
Verb
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The book's Japanese translator was murdered, and others associated with it were attacked.—
Anderson Cooper,
CBS News,
9 Feb. 2026
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Because as Bam Adebayo attacked a second-quarter offensive rebound with seemingly nothing but open air space toward the rim, teammate Kel’el Ware had similar thoughts of contesting that same carom of that Davion Mitchell errant attempt.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The charges stem from an incident in which Diggs allegedly assaulted the unnamed female employee over a paycheck dispute at his Dedham, Massachusetts, residence, according to a criminal complaint obtained by The Enterprise, part of the USA TODAY Network.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA Today,
9 Feb. 2026
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Then, in 2012, a process server sued Hadder, claiming he was assaulted and wrongfully arrested while trying to serve a subpoena.—
Rob Picheta,
CNN Money,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The source of the photos, who requested anonymity, slammed Nanos for attending the game while the search continues.—
Peter D'Abrosca , Alexandra Koch,
FOXNews.com,
8 Feb. 2026
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On the court, White jumped in anticipation as Peterson slammed the ball into the hoop.—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The newspaper printed its last edition in June 2021 after police raided its office and froze its assets.—
Chris Lau,
CNN Money,
9 Feb. 2026
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As recently as December, police raided a gay-friendly venue in the nation’s capital, Baku, and detained more than 100 people.—
Ryan Oehrli
Updated February 6,
Charlotte Observer,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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As the Sentinel’s Cristobal Reyes has reported, federal judges based in Orlando have scolded prosecutors multiple times in recent weeks for detaining people who should have been set free, with one judge memorably comparing the current actions of ICE to those of a third-world country.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
8 Feb. 2026
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No fan should be told how to follow their team, nor be scolded for feeling conflicted, especially as Spurs supporters have been put in this unenviable bind by the failings of their club — rather than the other way around.—
Dan Kilpatrick,
New York Times,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Technically, fans stormed the court twice.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
8 Feb. 2026
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The United States has not maintained a physical embassy in Tehran since the Iranian revolution in 1979, when militants stormed the building and held Americans hostage for 444 days.—
Cybele Mayes-Osterman,
USA Today,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The crash occurred in the area of 175 Mile Hill Road where a motorist heading north struck a man who was walking in the opposite direction with his snowblower in the northbound shoulder, according to Connecticut State Police.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
13 Feb. 2026
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Additional deals have been struck with Lighthouse Home Entertainment for Germany, Mediawan Rights for France, Wild Duck Prods.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Assailed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/assailed. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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