hatchet job

noun

: a forceful or malicious verbal attack

Examples of hatchet job in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
This hatchet job does not follow the rules of law, has no analysis or actual auditing done to support actions and tramples on the rights of government employees. Letters To The Editor, Orlando Sentinel, 7 Mar. 2025 Neither hagiography nor hatchet job, the movie casts an understanding eye on a once-infamous musical artist who weathered dizzying highs and devastating lows. Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times, 25 Dec. 2024 No amount of mainstream media hatchet jobs can disguise those optics. David Medina, Hartford Courant, 18 Nov. 2024 But the most shameless is Informer, a scandal sheet that features hatchet jobs and images of buxom women. Robert F. Worth, New York Times, 3 May 2023 Later, the scene is recut as a hatchet job on social media that leads to Tár’s downfall. Jordan Riefe, Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2023 In other words, the book is not a hatchet job. John Tamny, Forbes, 27 May 2021 Trump supporters say the potential prosecution is a politically motivated hatchet job disconnected from the law. Joseph Morton, Dallas News, 22 Mar. 2023 Rumor has it that someone is writing a book about her life, which will be a hatchet job. Lincee Ray, EW.com, 9 Nov. 2022

Word History

First Known Use

1940, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hatchet job was in 1940

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Cite this Entry

“Hatchet job.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hatchet%20job. Accessed 14 Mar. 2025.

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