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
Relevance
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mudslinging
Noun
-
Baldoni then filed a $250 million libel lawsuit against The New York Times for its bombshell exposé into Lively’s claims.—
Karu F. Daniels,
New York Daily News,
10 May 2025 -
Early criticism of the Wayfarer-Lively case compared the proceedings to the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard libel suit in 2022.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
29 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Conservatives are no longer afraid of progressive name-calling.—
Chris Roemer,
Baltimore Sun,
8 May 2025
-
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
Noun
-
When these systems break under the stress of abuse, neglect, or general incompetence, bad things happen.—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
14 May 2025
-
Since joining the Miami Herald in 1999, he’s covered the federal courts nonstop, from Elian Gonzalez’s custody battle to Alex Rodriguez’s steroid abuse.—
Jay Weaver,
Miami Herald,
14 May 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.
Cite this Entry
“Mudslinging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mudslinging. Accessed 23 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share