Synonyms of assassinate

assassinate

verb

ə-ˈsa-sə-ˌnāt 

as in to murder

to put to death deliberately

President Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth

Synonyms & Similar Words

• murder
• slay
• execute
• kill
• destroy
• neutralize
• get
• dispatch
• slaughter
• shoot
• liquidate
• off
• terminate
• whack
• snuff
• take out
• put away
• ice
• do away with
• bump off
• croak
• do in
• rub out
• knock off
• eliminate
• eradicate
• cut down
• blow away
• massacre
• fell
• smite
• exterminate
• claim
• shoot down
• butcher
• annihilate
• carry off
• blot out
• mow (down)
• zap
• wipe out

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• restore
• raise
• revive
• resurrect
• animate
• resuscitate

Synonym Chooser

How is the word assassinate distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of assassinate are dispatch, execute, kill, murder, and slay. While all these words mean "to deprive of life," assassinate applies to deliberate killing openly or secretly often for political motives.

terrorists assassinated the Senator

When might dispatch be a better fit than assassinate?

The words dispatch and assassinate are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, dispatch stresses quickness and directness in putting to death.

dispatched the sentry with one bullet

When can execute be used instead of assassinate?

Although the words execute and assassinate have much in common, execute stresses putting to death as a legal penalty.

executed by lethal gas

When would kill be a good substitute for assassinate?

The meanings of kill and assassinate largely overlap; however, kill merely states the fact of death caused by an agency in any manner.

killed in an accident

frost killed the plants

When is murder a more appropriate choice than assassinate?

The synonyms murder and assassinate are sometimes interchangeable, but murder specifically implies stealth and motive and premeditation and therefore full moral responsibility.

convicted of murdering a rival

When could slay be used to replace assassinate?

The words slay and assassinate can be used in similar contexts, but slay is a chiefly literary term implying deliberateness and violence but not necessarily motive.

slew thousands of the Philistines

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of assassinate

Meanwhile, six people allegedly linked to Hezbollah were arrested in Kuwait for planning to assassinate Gulf leaders, Kuwait’s Ministry of Interior said in a statement. —Jon Gambrell, Chicago Tribune, 25 Mar. 2026

Ali Larijani Ali Larijani, who was assassinated on March 17, 2026, was one of the Islamic Republic’s most experienced political insiders. —Mehrzad Boroujerdi, The Conversation, 19 Mar. 2026

Abe was assassinated during a speech in Japan in 2022. —Kathryn Watson, CBS News, 19 Mar. 2026

Mercenaries hired out of Florida assassinated the president of Haiti. —Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 18 Mar. 2026