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
This pattern of postmortem character assassination functions as a foundational tactic of modern autocracy.
—
Kyle Varner, Washington Post, 2 Feb. 2026
Cries of character assassination that the super smart Donnie would have to ask an AI algorithm for advice could be found all over Twitter.
—Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 11 Dec. 2025
Fending off a character assassination?
—Usa Today, USA Today, 4 Nov. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for character assassination
Kyle Varner, Washington Post, 2 Feb. 2026
Cries of character assassination that the super smart Donnie would have to ask an AI algorithm for advice could be found all over Twitter.
—Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 11 Dec. 2025
Fending off a character assassination?
—Usa Today, USA Today, 4 Nov. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for character assassination
Recent Examples of Synonyms for character assassination
Noun
-
King sued the league for defamation and the city of Independence for violating his civil rights.—
Ilana Arougheti,
Kansas City Star,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Lake Court House Foundation permanently banned five individuals, including a local photographer, from entering the property’s bounds due to allegations of trespassing and defamation.—
Anna Ortiz,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
And there was a huge libel action against him that was taken out by a very brave writer called Deborah Lipstadt, who won against him.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
25 Mar. 2026
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In September 2024, Newsmax paid $40 million to settle another libel lawsuit with Smartmatic, another voting machine company, over claims that Smartmatic helped rig the 2020 election.—
Bill Goodykoontz,
AZCentral.com,
23 Mar. 2026
Noun
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King, who is in his early fifties, is a former marine, a motivational speaker, and a mental-health and substance-abuse professional.—
Charles Bethea,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
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Payments will be based on severity and duration of the abuse, the level of cooperation with investigators and other factors, records show.—
Chase Jordan,
Charlotte Observer,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
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In April, the committee will recommend a punishment to be voted on by the full House, something that could range from a censure, removal from committees, or expulsion itself.—
Barbara Sprunt,
NPR,
27 Mar. 2026
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The Ethics Committee will now hold a meeting to discuss potential consequences, and the matter could come up for full House vote on her censure or expulsion.—
Claire Heddles,
Miami Herald,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Her organization has drawn sharp criticism from pro-Israel groups.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 Mar. 2026
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Bart Jansen Secretary of State Marco Rubio dismissed criticism of the United States and Israel from Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to the United Nations Human Rights Commission.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
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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 1 Apr. 2026.
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