mudslinging

as in libel
the use of personal attacks or insults in order to undermine an opponent the ceaseless mudslinging merely convinced voters that neither candidate was worth voting for

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for mudslinging
Noun
  • Freedman has suggested that Gottlieb was responsible, at least in part, for the bombshell New York Times article regarding Lively’s accusations against Baldoni, who is currently suing the publication for libel and false light invasion of privacy.
    Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 3 Feb. 2025
  • Baldoni is suing Lively, Reynolds, and their PR rep for defamation and extortion, as well as the NYT for libel.
    Bethy Squires, Vulture, 22 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • Zoom out: Bullying and harassment campaigns, which include everything from lawsuits to name-calling, are often easier and more effective than leveraging presidential powers.
    Sara Fischer, Axios, 20 Feb. 2025
  • Congress had one of its most unproductive and dysfunctional periods the past two years that featured leadership fights, name-calling and physical aggression among lawmakers and averting government shutdowns with just hours to spare.
    Sudiksha Kochi, USA TODAY, 20 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • Which means those bureaucracies are ripe for waste, fraud and abuse.
    Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 3 Mar. 2025
  • Trump fired 17 inspectors general, the watchdogs that scrutinize agencies for waste, fraud and abuse.
    Bart Jansen, USA TODAY, 2 Mar. 2025
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Mudslinging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mudslinging. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.

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