CHARACTER ASSASSINATIONS Synonyms: 68 Similar and Opposite Words

character assassination

noun

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

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

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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 character assassination Putting an exclamation point on that thought with a scene of Carol yelling at a group of joggers to get out of the way while listening to a self-motivation audiobook makes her character assassination feel heavy-handed this early on in the seven-episode run. — Andy Andersen, Vulture, 16 Mar. 2026 Liuzzo and Good suffered significant character assassination that their male partners-in-protest avoided. — Aniko Bodroghkozy, The Conversation, 24 Feb. 2026 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 See All Example Sentences for character assassination

Recent Examples of Synonyms for character assassination

Noun

The classmate, Joleene Altum, sued Griffin for emotional distress and invasion of privacy, and Griffin countersued for defamation in a bitter, ongoing legal battle.

— Ben Smith, semafor.com, 26 Oct. 2026
Allen denied both women's allegations and filed counterclaims against them in July 2023, accusing his former manager of defamation and other claims and accusing Jane Doe 2 of unlawfully taking his cellphone following their encounter.

— Ashley Hume , Larry Fink, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of defamation

Noun

The media’s coverage of the couple was at times critical, and in 2008 the McCanns reached settlements in libel cases brought against British tabloids that alleged they were involved in Madeleine’s disappearance.

— Frannie Comstock, Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 Oct. 2026
The libel continued this week when, after years and years of Ryan Murphy teasing a return, Disney+ and Hulu announced that a revival of the series is in fact officially on the way.

— Tom Smyth, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of libel

Noun

Either way, Steve Sarkisian has noticed something different about his quarterback this week, which also comes at a time of heightened criticism towards the Texas offense.

— Trey Wallace OutKick, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2026
The government efforts to make sure that male royals are producing male emperors have triggered criticisms.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of criticism

Noun

Orange County prosecutors also charged Nguyen with animal cruelty and animal abuse by a caretaker, both felonies, and a sentencing enhancement alleging the personal use of a weapon.

— Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times, 31 Oct. 2026
Six of the paper’s journalists have been murdered during its three and a half decades of operation, including Anna Politkovskaya, an ardent critic of President Vladimir Putin who reported extensively on human rights abuses in Chechnya.

— Zahra Ullah, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of abuse

Noun

Israel might face its ultimate fear—losing the United States’s veto at the UN Security Council, which has protected its occupation since 1967 from international censure, even under critical Democratic presidents like Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama.

— Aluf Benn, Foreign Affairs, 23 Oct. 2026
Football—besides being one of our more ubiquitous and unrestrained national entertainments—has also become one of the rare arenas in American life where highly specialized language can flourish without censure.

— Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of censure

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character

character assassination

charactered

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“Character assassination.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/character%20assassination. Accessed 2 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of character assassination

noun

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