Character Assassination (Noun)
Meaning
An attack intended to ruin someone's reputation.
Classification
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents.
Examples
- The politician's opponent launched a vicious character assassination campaign, spreading false rumors and lies about her personal life to sway undecided voters.
- The celebrity's reputation was tarnished by a character assassination attempt by a disgruntled former employee who made unsubstantiated claims about her behavior on set.
- The whistle-blower was subjected to character assassination by the company she had exposed for its wrongdoing, in an effort to discredit her and shift attention away from the scandal.
- The tabloid newspaper was accused of engaging in character assassination when it published a series of salacious and unsubstantiated articles about the famous actor's romantic life.
- The professor's reputation was ruined by a concerted character assassination effort by her colleagues, who spread rumors and made unfounded accusations about her professional conduct in a bid to oust her from her position.