character assassination

noun

: the slandering of a person usually with the intention of destroying public confidence in that person

Synonyms

• aspersing
• blackening
• calumniation
• calumny
• defamation
• defaming
• libel
• libeling
• libelling
• maligning
• slander
• smearing
• traducing
• vilification
• vilifying

Examples of character assassination in a Sentence

None of those rumors are true. She's been the victim of character assassination.

the actor's lawyers charge that the tabloid engaged in a deliberate campaign of character assassination

Recent Examples on the Web

At the same time, politicians talked while the top brass stole, and all Ivan was left with was mindless paperwork — and now character assassination. —Sarah A. Topol, New York Times, 20 Sep. 2024

Farber harshly criticizes Cuba’s treatment of blacks, homosexuals, and political dissidents and exposes the Castro regime’s practice of obfuscating policy debates through character assassination. —Richard Feinberg, Foreign Affairs, 1 Jan. 2012

Being falsely painted as a liar when I was never given the full story or played any part of the song is character assassination. —EW.com, 6 Aug. 2024

The mud-slinging and character assassinations started after Trump decided to enter the political arena. —Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 5 Aug. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1822, in the meaning defined above