Synonym Chooser

How is the word assassinate distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of assassinate are dispatch, execute, kill, murder, and slay. While all these words mean "to deprive of life," assassinate applies to deliberate killing openly or secretly often for political motives.

terrorists assassinated the Senator

When might dispatch be a better fit than assassinate?

The words dispatch and assassinate are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, dispatch stresses quickness and directness in putting to death.

dispatched the sentry with one bullet

When can execute be used instead of assassinate?

Although the words execute and assassinate have much in common, execute stresses putting to death as a legal penalty.

executed by lethal gas

When would kill be a good substitute for assassinate?

The meanings of kill and assassinate largely overlap; however, kill merely states the fact of death caused by an agency in any manner.

killed in an accident
frost killed the plants

When is murder a more appropriate choice than assassinate?

The synonyms murder and assassinate are sometimes interchangeable, but murder specifically implies stealth and motive and premeditation and therefore full moral responsibility.

convicted of murdering a rival

When could slay be used to replace assassinate?

The words slay and assassinate can be used in similar contexts, but slay is a chiefly literary term implying deliberateness and violence but not necessarily motive.

slew thousands of the Philistines

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of assassinate On April 9, 1945, Lutheran theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer was executed by the Nazis for his role in the plot to assassinate Hitler. David Decosse, Mercury News, 11 Apr. 2025 Ryan Routh's charges Routh is charged with attempting to assassinate Trump on Sept. 15, 2024, at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach. Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 8 Apr. 2025 Ryan Wesley Routh attempted to acquire a rocket launcher from Ukraine just one month before his arrest for allegedly plotting to assassinate President Donald Trump, according to a Justice Department (DOJ) filing in the Southern District of Florida. Gordon G. Chang, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Apr. 2025 Boris Nemtsov, another opposition leader, was assassinated near the Kremlin in 2015. Andy J. Semotiuk, Forbes.com, 30 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for assassinate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for assassinate
Verb
  • While Abby is determined to carry out their plan to murder Joel, all of her friends want to turn back.
    Eliana Dockterman, Time, 21 Apr. 2025
  • The man who murdered Rachel Morin was convicted by a jury that deliberated for 46 minutes.
    Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 20 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Use logic and math to determine who slays the most orcs and rank them from greatest to least.
    Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 17 Apr. 2025
  • To finally slay that demon and experience it with Elliot.
    Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 16 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • The torturous clobbering comes after Joel saves Abby from infected hordes and is coldly executed in front of his surrogate daughter, Ellie (Bella Ramsey).
    Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 22 Apr. 2025
  • Too often, families focus on assets before people, only to discover that even the most sophisticated investment strategy falters without the right talent executing it.
    Francois Botha, Forbes.com, 20 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Renee Moore worked near the building and relied on its daycare for her 6-month-old son Antonio Cooper Jr., who was among those killed.
    Erin Jensen, USA Today, 19 Apr. 2025
  • Drones hit a bread factory in Sumy, killing one person, Zelensky said.
    Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Assassinate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/assassinate. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.

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