Phrase guide

character assassination

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

A malicious discourse designed to damage the reputation of someone.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, idiomatic, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

an attack intended to ruin someone's reputation

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: assassination, blackwash

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: defamation, calumny, calumniation, obloquy, traducement, hatchet job

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

18 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: اِغْتِيَال شَخْصِيَّة (iḡtiyāl šaḵṣiyya) — malicious discourse designed to damage someone's reputation
  • Chinese Mandarin: 人格謀殺 /人格谋杀 (réngé móushā) — malicious discourse designed to damage someone's reputation
  • Dutch: karaktermoord — malicious discourse designed to damage someone's reputation
  • Finnish: mustamaalaus — malicious discourse designed to damage someone's reputation
  • French: diffamation — malicious discourse designed to damage someone's reputation
  • French: médisance — malicious discourse designed to damage someone's reputation
  • Georgian: რეპუტაციის შელახვა (reṗuṭaciis šelaxva) — malicious discourse designed to damage someone's reputation
  • Georgian: დემონიზაცია (demonizacia) — malicious discourse designed to damage someone's reputation
  • Georgian: სახელის გატეხა (saxelis gaṭexa) — malicious discourse designed to damage someone's reputation
  • German: Rufmord — malicious discourse designed to damage someone's reputation
  • German: Diffamierung — malicious discourse designed to damage someone's reputation
  • Hungarian: karaktergyilkosság — malicious discourse designed to damage someone's reputation
  • Icelandic: mannorðsmorð — malicious discourse designed to damage someone's reputation
  • Indonesian: pembunuhan karakter — malicious discourse designed to damage someone's reputation
  • Norwegian Bokmål: karakterdrap — malicious discourse designed to damage someone's reputation
  • Polish: oczernianie — malicious discourse designed to damage someone's reputation
  • Spanish: difamación — malicious discourse designed to damage someone's reputation
  • Swedish: karaktärsmord — malicious discourse designed to damage someone's reputation