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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for mudslinging
Noun
  • Trump appears to be the first sitting President or Presidential nominee in American history to sue for libel or defamation.
    David D. Kirkpatrick, New Yorker, 11 Aug. 2025
  • Now Trump has filed a lawsuit for libel and slander against the Wall Street Journal, its publisher, two of its reporters, and News Corp founder and former friend Rupert Murdoch.
    USA Today, USA Today, 20 July 2025
Noun
  • Tribalism can and does spill over into much more unpleasant areas, from basic name-calling to more insidious abuse.
    Nick Miller, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2025
  • Trump has been telling the Fed to cut rates since early this year and has even resorted to name-calling.
    Tobias Burns, The Hill, 30 July 2025
Noun
  • Even this brief description cannot fully prepare the viewer for the zigzagging subplots and delights of Mendonça’s eccentric and affectionate ode to the movies and the Brazil of his youth—and to maintaining individuality amid abuses of power.
    Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 5 Aug. 2025
  • The Trump administration says its workforce restructuring is part of the president's efforts to cut waste, fraud and abuse and improve Americans' lives, White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Harrison Fields told ABC News.
    Arthur Jones II, ABC News, 5 Aug. 2025
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Mudslinging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mudslinging. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.

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