ASSAILING Synonyms: 122 Similar and Opposite Words

assailing

verb

present participle of assail

as in attacking

to criticize harshly and usually publicly the union organizers assailed the chemical company for failing to provide a safe working environment

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in assaulting

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 assailing Trump has singled out Moore for criticism, blaming him for a Potomac sewage spill, assailing his handing of Baltimore's bridge collapse and invoking a controversy over his military record. —

Francesca Chambers, USA Today, 18 Feb. 2026 Horvath, 43, has been one of the mayor’s most outspoken critics over the past year, assailing her record on homelessness and last year’s Palisades fire, which destroyed thousands of homes and left 12 people dead. —

David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2026 In 1495 Columbus retaliated by assailing Taíno villages and capturing chiefs. —

Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for assailing

Verb

The crude market has been hit by wild volatility since the United States and Israel began striking Iran at the end of last month, with Tehran retaliating by attacking targets across the oil-rich Gulf and effectively shutting down the Strait of Hormuz.

— Nur Hikmah Md Ali, CNBC, 12 Mar. 2026
After many of them, Trump officials moved quickly to justify the shooting and accuse the victim of attacking agents, all before an investigation had taken place.

— Ruby Cramer, New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2026