mudslinging

as in libel
the use of personal attacks or insults in order to undermine an opponent the ceaseless mudslinging merely convinced voters that neither candidate was worth voting for

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 mudslinging Less than two years after their wedding, Harry and Meghan stepped down from their royal duties, amidst a bevy of allegations, mudslinging and familial tension. Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 6 Sep. 2025 Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani is calling on mayoral rival Andrew Cuomo to release a list of his consulting clients, even trying to tie Cuomo to Jeffery Epstein in a new video as mudslinging between the candidates ramps up. Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 12 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mudslinging
Noun
  • McQueen countersued him on several claims as well, including libel, intentional infliction of emotional distress and intentional interference with contractual or business relationships.
    Evan Mealins, The Tennessean, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Bellis later added $473 million in punitive damages, bringing the total libel judgment to $1,436,620,000—believed to be one of the largest in American history.
    Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Because what should have been a chance to clarify his current business moves or offer some perspective on his legacy spiraled into name-calling, interruptions, and accusations.
    Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 18 Sep. 2025
  • Ivins gleefully chronicled legislators’ fistfights, shoving matches, name-calling, and double-crossing.
    Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The agents had been following leads from an anti-trafficking organization, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, that in 2015 had uncovered the abuses of harvesters at an onion farm near Vidalia.
    ProPublica, ProPublica, 13 Sep. 2025
  • California officials are trying to kill the fossil fuel industry in the state while simultaneously seeking a buyer for Valero Energy’s Benicia refinery near San Francisco, which is scheduled to close in April because the company no longer wants to deal with the abuse from Sacramento.
    Kerry Jackson, Oc Register, 13 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Mudslinging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mudslinging. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.

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