1
as in defamation
the making of false statements that damage another's reputation
the actor's lawyers charge that the tabloid engaged in a deliberate campaign of character assassination
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in libel
the use of personal attacks or insults in order to undermine an opponent
refused to resort to character assassination even if it meant losing his bid for governor
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of character assassination
As the moon clashes with Mercury, competition can lead to character assassinations!
—
USA TODAY, 10 Nov. 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for character assassination
USA TODAY, 10 Nov. 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for character assassination
Recent Examples of Synonyms for character assassination
Noun
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Baldoni has denied the allegations against him and filed a $400 million lawsuit against Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, accusing them of civil extortion and defamation.—
Christina Dugan Ramirez,
Fox News,
23 Feb. 2025
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Weeks later, Baldoni filed a $400 million lawsuit against Lively, Reynolds and publicist Leslie Sloane, accusing the trio of civil extortion and defamation.—
Jami Ganz,
New York Daily News,
22 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Freedman has suggested that Gottlieb was responsible, at least in part, for the bombshell New York Times article regarding Lively’s accusations against Baldoni, who is currently suing the publication for libel and false light invasion of privacy.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
3 Feb. 2025
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Baldoni is suing Lively, Reynolds, and their PR rep for defamation and extortion, as well as the NYT for libel.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
22 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The gesture is also a stark reminder of the lasting impact of abuse on players.—
Caoimhe O'Neill,
The Athletic,
19 Feb. 2025
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In this week’s episode, Bailey befriends Diana, a fellow victim of domestic abuse who runs a local women’s shelter.—
Max Gao,
Variety,
19 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Those who stick around and suffer a formal censure from their governing academic body usually — but not automatically — face removal from office by a higher power (typically the university’s board of trustees, or the state’s governor).—
Shaun Richman,
New York Daily News,
18 Feb. 2025
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Brown’s refusal to show New Zealand officials the text of the China deal ahead of his trip prompted censure from Wellington this month.—
Charlotte Graham-McLay,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The event gave the royals the opportunity to put on a united front in the face of Harry and Meghan's criticisms made during the show.—
Ross Rosenfeld,
Newsweek,
26 Feb. 2025
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Ultimately, interviews with more than two dozen people showed that Trump's aides at the White House and USAGM wanted the network to reflect Trump's successes and to tamp down on criticisms of him - a consistent thread of recent developments.—
David Folkenflik,
NPR,
26 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Character assassination.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/character%20assassination. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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