1
as in defamation
the making of false statements that damage another's reputation
the actor's lawyers charge that the tabloid engaged in a deliberate campaign of character assassination
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in libel
the use of personal attacks or insults in order to undermine an opponent
refused to resort to character assassination even if it meant losing his bid for governor
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of character assassination
Roberts brings a jolt of invigorating fury to one of the movie’s strongest scenes, in which the mentor rips into her mentee in public on a campus square with a fully detailed character assassination.
—
David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 29 Aug. 2025
The Court should exercise its discretion to exclude the evidence set forth to avoid unfair character assassination and to ensure a fair trial on the merits.
—ArsTechnica, 25 Apr. 2025
The weird character assassination of Sharon Carter?
—Nola Pfau, Vulture, 17 Apr. 2025
There is a thin line between chatter and character assassination — and gossip goes right for the jugular.
—Jason Walker Psyd, Forbes.com, 26 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for character assassination
David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 29 Aug. 2025
The Court should exercise its discretion to exclude the evidence set forth to avoid unfair character assassination and to ensure a fair trial on the merits.
—ArsTechnica, 25 Apr. 2025
The weird character assassination of Sharon Carter?
—Nola Pfau, Vulture, 17 Apr. 2025
There is a thin line between chatter and character assassination — and gossip goes right for the jugular.
—Jason Walker Psyd, Forbes.com, 26 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for character assassination
Recent Examples of Synonyms for character assassination
Noun
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The president, or his companies, has also sued Capital One over debanking claims; media outlets over alleged defamation; and even the IRS over the leak of his tax information.—
Hugh Son,
CNBC,
2 Mar. 2026
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But the jury found Greenpeace USA liable on all counts, including defamation, conspiracy, trespass, nuisance and tortious interference.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
27 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Sugar libel was snipped from both bills.—
Pat Beall,
Sun Sentinel,
27 Feb. 2026
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Ohiku's complaint accused the defendants, including Kohlheim, City Clerk Jim Owczarski and Common Council President José Pérez, of libel, slander and negligent supervision.—
Vanessa Swales,
jsonline.com,
24 Feb. 2026
Noun
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A lot of these soldiers have high divorce rates, high amounts of alcoholism and abuse of pharmaceuticals.—
William Earl,
Variety,
1 Mar. 2026
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Fake tax preparers and PTIN abuse Another trend in 2026 involves tax preparer credentials.—
Ken Colburn,
AZCentral.com,
1 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The censure resolution also stated her social media posts divulged and misrepresented confidential closed session information and disparaged the superintendent and board members.—
Michelle Mullins,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Feb. 2026
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In refusing to bow to an administration that has been intent on bullying private companies into submission, Amodei and his team are taking a bold stand on ethical grounds, and risking a censure that could erode Anthropic’s long-term viability.—
Will Gottsegen,
The Atlantic,
26 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Howell also drew criticism for agreeing to a confidentiality agreement with the NFL to conceal the ruling of a collusion grievance the union had filed against the league.—
Mike Jones,
New York Times,
28 Feb. 2026
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Some of the men laughed at the comment, which sparked criticism online, especially since many of them are close with players on the women's hockey team.—
Allison DeGrushe,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Black inks for the same printers tend to have less obvious smearing than the color ink, and many smear just enough to see a smudge, without harming readability.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
30 Sep. 2025
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If the smearing continues, look for a position elsewhere.—
Rolling Stone Culture Council,
Rolling Stone,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Character assassination.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/character%20assassination. Accessed 3 Mar. 2026.
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