ad hominem

1 of 2

adjective

ad ho·mi·nem (ˈ)ad-ˈhä-mə-nəm

-ˌnem

: appealing to feelings or prejudices rather than intellect

an ad hominem argument

: marked by or being an attack on an opponent's character rather than by an answer to the contentions made

made an ad hominem personal attack on his rival

ad hominem

2 of 2

adverb

: in an ad hominem manner

was arguing ad hominem

Did you know?

Ad hominem literally means “to the person” in New Latin (Latin as used since the end of the medieval period). In centuries past, the term was used in the phrase “argument ad hominem” (or argumentum ad hominem, to use the full New Latin phrase) to refer to a method of persuasion in which one introduces issues that relate personally to one’s opponent, such as the opponent’s habits, practices, or circumstances, instead of just sticking to principles or facts. What exactly came into play in such persuasions eventually expanded, and ad hominem came to describe an attack aimed at an opponent’s character rather than their ideas. The hostile nature of such attacks has led to an understanding of the term as meaning “against the person,” rather than its original Latin meaning of “to the person.”

Examples of ad hominem in a Sentence

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Adjective

The annals of political history are rife with examples of politicians and pundits going full ad hominem on opposing candidates. —Stephen Humphries, The Christian Science Monitor, 30 Jan. 2025