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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mudslinging
Noun
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Lipstadt became famous—and was later portrayed onscreen by Rachel Weisz—for winning a judgment in a British court against the Holocaust denier David Irving, who had sued her for libel.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
22 Apr. 2025 -
In February 2022, U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff rejected Palin's claims in a ruling issued while a jury deliberated, saying Palin had failed to show that the Times had acted out of malice, something required in libel lawsuits involving public figures.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
22 Apr. 2025
Noun
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For Musk, whose younger brother Kimbal — a restaurant owner, entrepreneur and Tesla board member — has joined in on the action, the name-calling appears to be tied to business conditions.—
Lora Kolodny,Ari Levy,
CNBC,
8 Apr. 2025
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During elections one group calls the other by all kinds of bad names that no one takes too seriously, neither those that do the name-calling nor those called by such names.—
Isaac Bashevis Singer,
Harpers Magazine,
26 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The mystery surrounded a bunch of kids tasked with gathering information in order to save the nation trillions of dollars in waste, fraud and abuse.—
Gary Franks,
Hartford Courant,
19 Apr. 2025
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The recent amendments to Maryland’s Child Victims Act, unveiled in a month dedicated to child abuse prevention awareness — April — are deeply troubling.—
Diana Philip,
Baltimore Sun,
19 Apr. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Mudslinging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mudslinging. Accessed 3 May. 2025.
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