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

“Bill O’Reilly has been subjected to a brutal campaign of character assassination unprecedented in post-McCarthyist America,” Kasowitz said in a 2017 statement.

From Slate

Cohn and the Trumps also took to the media, accusing the government of trying to force them to rent to “welfare recipients” and engaging in character assassination against government lawyers, even filing a contempt of court charge against one government attorney and accusing her of “turning the investigation into a ‘Gestapo-like interrogation,’” according to the Times report.

From Salon

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