assassination

noun

as·​sas·​si·​na·​tion ə-ˌsa-sə-ˈnā-shən 

plural assassinations

1

: murder by sudden or secret attack often for political reasons : the act or an instance of assassinating someone (such as a prominent political leader)

the assassination of Abraham Lincoln

an assassination attempt

In medieval days, assassination by poisoning was common enough to alarm many a king, and protection was sought in the form of prayers, food tasters and science.

—The New York Times

2

: treacherous destruction of a person's reputation

character assassination

Examples of assassination in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

So, too, are many world historical events that have been captured in landmark photographs, including the assassination of JFK, the fall of the Berlin Wall and anything from the pandemic lockdown or the presidency of Donald Trump. —Lucy McKeon, New York Times, 3 June 2024

On the contrary, fraught politics between India and Canada over the assassination of a Sikh separatist leader on Canadian soil last year have hardly registered in the music. —Sara Miller Llana, The Christian Science Monitor, 31 May 2024

Spanish intelligence corroborated early suspicions that Moscow orchestrated last week’s assassination in Alicante of a Russian pilot who defected to Ukraine and then moved to Spain. —Armstrong Williams, Baltimore Sun, 24 May 2024

Despite being recommended by the Air Force, Dwight was not chosen for the NASA astronaut corps in the aftermath of Kennedy’s assassination. —Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 19 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1610, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing assassination

• character assassination