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
-
Baldoni has denied her allegations and filed a defamation lawsuit against the New York Times, which published the actress’ complaint.—
Lexi Carson,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Mar. 2026
-
In her ruling, Geraghty also found that the lawsuit's claims against two news companies covering the case dealing with defamation were insufficient, dismissing those as well.—
Dan Raby,
CBS News,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The company accused Moore of libel.—
Drake Bentley,
jsonline.com,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Sugar libel was snipped from both bills.—
Pat Beall,
Sun Sentinel,
27 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Those were the cameras that captured the guards’ abuse and neglect of Mitchell four years later.—
USA Today,
USA Today,
8 Mar. 2026
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Evaluating this requires examining abuses, military aggression, humanitarian violations, sanctions, and judgments by bodies like the United Nations and the International Court of Justice.—
Ken Barnes,
The Orlando Sentinel,
8 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Noem was the public face of that disapproval, strutting forward with arrogance in the face of public censure, a veritable clown show of ineptitude.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Days later, the House voted to reprimand Garcia after a fellow Democrat brought a censure resolution to the floor.—
David Sivak,
The Washington Examiner,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Dowdle responded to criticism of his performance down the stretch on social media on Friday, seemingly taking a shot at coach Dave Canales’ offensive play-calling.—
Mike Kaye
Updated March 13,
Charlotte Observer,
13 Mar. 2026
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With the police chief taking criticism for a recent rise in shootings by officers, several proposals sought to strengthen accountability for the use of deadly force.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Whereas the initial narrowband signal might have a strong power across just a few frequencies, the smearing spreads that power across more frequencies, reducing the strength of the signal.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
8 Mar. 2026
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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
Cite this Entry
“Character assassination.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/character%20assassination. Accessed 16 Mar. 2026.
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