character assassination

noun

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

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 The weird character assassination of Sharon Carter? Nola Pfau, Vulture, 12 Jan. 2024 Daszak has come in for more than his share of character assassination. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2024 And, look, there's a reason why there's a lot of journalists at NBC News uncomfortable with this because many of our professional dealings with the RNC over the last six years have been met with gaslighting, have been met with character assassination. Nbc Universal, NBC News, 24 Mar. 2024 Trump excels also at character assassination, ridiculing his critics almost daily. Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 20 Mar. 2024 See all Example Sentences for character assassination 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'character assassination.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1822, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of character assassination was in 1822

Dictionary Entries Near character assassination

Cite this Entry

“Character assassination.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/character%20assassination. Accessed 4 Jul. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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