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
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Recent Examples of mudslinging
There’s also a fair amount of political mudslinging and backbiting.
—
Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 June 2026
The race for what is traditionally an administrative post requiring technical expertise has been marked by intense mudslinging this election cycle.
—Ryan MacAsero, Mercury News, 3 June 2026
Sokoloff makes everything about Mejia I hate to keep making everything about Mejia since this is supposed to be about Sokoloff’s candidacy, but Sokoloff himself couldn’t seem to answer a question without mudslinging against Mejia.
—Rafael Perez, Daily News, 28 May 2026
All the mudslinging debates and the millions of dollars spent on attack ads might not matter for the six – yes, six – Democratic candidates still vying to be the top official in this bellwether blue state.
—Terry Collins, USA Today, 14 May 2026
Mejia has criticized the donation, which already paid for a mudslinging ad against him.
—Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 13 May 2026
The film also contains archival footage of mudslinging and backbiting comments from several of the musicians about various members’ comings and goings.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 29 Apr. 2026
Ads largely were a mudslinging fest between Krishnamoorthi and Stratton.
—Rachel Schilke, The Washington Examiner, 18 Mar. 2026
Wu trounced Josh Kraft, a son of the billionaire New England Patriots and Kraft Group owner Robert Kraft, in last year’s mayoral race, after a contentious campaign filled with mudslinging on both sides.
—Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 11 Mar. 2026
Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 June 2026
The race for what is traditionally an administrative post requiring technical expertise has been marked by intense mudslinging this election cycle.
—Ryan MacAsero, Mercury News, 3 June 2026
Sokoloff makes everything about Mejia I hate to keep making everything about Mejia since this is supposed to be about Sokoloff’s candidacy, but Sokoloff himself couldn’t seem to answer a question without mudslinging against Mejia.
—Rafael Perez, Daily News, 28 May 2026
All the mudslinging debates and the millions of dollars spent on attack ads might not matter for the six – yes, six – Democratic candidates still vying to be the top official in this bellwether blue state.
—Terry Collins, USA Today, 14 May 2026
Mejia has criticized the donation, which already paid for a mudslinging ad against him.
—Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 13 May 2026
The film also contains archival footage of mudslinging and backbiting comments from several of the musicians about various members’ comings and goings.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 29 Apr. 2026
Ads largely were a mudslinging fest between Krishnamoorthi and Stratton.
—Rachel Schilke, The Washington Examiner, 18 Mar. 2026
Wu trounced Josh Kraft, a son of the billionaire New England Patriots and Kraft Group owner Robert Kraft, in last year’s mayoral race, after a contentious campaign filled with mudslinging on both sides.
—Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 11 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mudslinging
Noun
-
Zenger was arrested and accused of seditious libel or content that challenged the authority of the state.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
28 May 2026
-
The nation's highest court overturned a libel case against the newspaper, which had run an ad condemning police treatment of civil rights demonstrators in Montgomery, Alabama.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
26 May 2026
Noun
-
That name-calling doesn’t keep small businesses like this open.—
Rachel Royster,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
2 June 2026
-
Cofer noted that the evening was a forum, rather than a debate and that name-calling wasn’t allowed.—
Graham Womack,
Sacbee.com,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Johnson works in the mental health field, helping people on their recovery journey from substance abuse, anxiety, alcohol.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
7 June 2026
-
In 2019, Colorado lawmakers extended the statute of limitations on failure to report child abuse from 18 months to three years.—
Shelly Bradbury,
Denver Post,
7 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mudslinging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mudslinging. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
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