character assassination

noun

1. a slandering attack, especially one intended to damage the reputation of a public or political figure.

character assassination

noun

1. the act of deliberately attempting to destroy a person's reputation by defamatory remarks

Word History and Origins

Origin of character assassination¹

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

Weeks the Drake-inspired “Not Like Us,” a character assassination you can really dance to, sat atop the Billboard Hot 100.

From Los Angeles Times

Springfield has yet to recover from Trump’s collective character assassination.

From Los Angeles Times

The family's statement also said: "The character assassination of Erik and Lyle, who are our nephews and cousins, under the guise of a 'story telling narrative', is repulsive."

From BBC

“The claim that I am a sex worker is 100% false and character assassination. I am retaining an attorney to explore all legal remedies against both Rodney and his attorney.”

From Los Angeles Times

At one point, Geragos accused federal prosecutors of “character assassination” because of their efforts to limit what the defense could tell jurors about Hunter Biden’s addiction and the roots of it.

From Los Angeles Times