CHARACTER ASSASSINATION Synonyms: 68 Similar and Opposite Words

character assassination

noun

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

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 character assassination Putting an exclamation point on that thought with a scene of Carol yelling at a group of joggers to get out of the way while listening to a self-motivation audiobook makes her character assassination feel heavy-handed this early on in the seven-episode run. — Andy Andersen, Vulture, 16 Mar. 2026 Liuzzo and Good suffered significant character assassination that their male partners-in-protest avoided. — Aniko Bodroghkozy, The Conversation, 24 Feb. 2026 This pattern of postmortem character assassination functions as a foundational tactic of modern autocracy. — Kyle Varner, Washington Post, 2 Feb. 2026 Cries of character assassination that the super smart Donnie would have to ask an AI algorithm for advice could be found all over Twitter. — Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 11 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for character assassination

Recent Examples of Synonyms for character assassination

Noun

Gibney has never been one to shy away from controversy, but even before Musk’s release, the film drew the ire of its subject and threats of a defamation lawsuit.

— Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 11 Oct. 2026
Conrad’s legal team includes Camille Vasquez, who was among the attorneys who represented actor Johnny Depp in his defamation lawsuit against his ex-wife, Amber Heard.

— Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of defamation

Noun

He was cleared of that, but then fell out with a friend who had helped concoct his alibi in the libel case, and was charged with perjury.

— The Week UK, TheWeek, 17 Oct. 2026
Paul Bettany opened up in a recent interview with The Times about the public’s misconception of his relationship with Johnny Depp after text messages between the two actors were used in court during Depp’s libel lawsuit against The Sun.

— Payton Turkeltaub, Variety, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of libel

Noun

Trump's continuing criticism of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and praise of Putin only give Putin further confidence the United States is not serious about imposing more severe sanctions.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 17 Oct. 2026
His government, the most nationalist and far-right in Israel’s history, faces domestic criticism over security failures and international criticism over the treatment of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of criticism

Noun

In court Friday, Teymouri revealed additional information about past child abuse claims about the defendants and the conditions in the home.

— James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026
The 2026 accusations stem from a call placed to police in Albuquerque by a University of New Mexico physician who examined the boys and alerted them to allegations of abuse.

— Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of abuse

Noun

Football—besides being one of our more ubiquitous and unrestrained national entertainments—has also become one of the rare arenas in American life where highly specialized language can flourish without censure.

— Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2026
The board is also expected to consider whether to launch an investigation into the allegations and consider a censure vote.

— Sarah Horbacewicz, CBS News, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of censure

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character

character assassination

charactered

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“Character assassination.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/character%20assassination. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of character assassination

noun

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