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
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Recent Examples of mudslinging
Nasty name-calling, ill-mannered insults, and menacing mudslinging have been a part of American politics for centuries.
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Christopher Harris, CBS News, 21 Nov. 2025
Censure resolutions, a once-rare reprimand for serious misdemeanors committed by House members, are now a common tactic used in mudslinging and squabbles both within the same party and against the opposing party.
—Rachel Schilke, The Washington Examiner, 21 Nov. 2025
Less than two years after their wedding, Harry and Meghan stepped down from their royal duties, amidst a bevy of allegations, mudslinging and familial tension.
—Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 6 Sep. 2025
Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani is calling on mayoral rival Andrew Cuomo to release a list of his consulting clients, even trying to tie Cuomo to Jeffery Epstein in a new video as mudslinging between the candidates ramps up.
—Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 12 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mudslinging
Noun
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Earlier in December, Baldoni filed a $250 million libel lawsuit against The New York Times, in Los Angeles County Superior Court, over its explosive story detailing her alleged treatment on set.—
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Steve Coogan has settled a libel claim over 2022’s The Lost King after a university academic sued over his depiction in the film.—
Noun
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Other concerning behaviors may include constant messaging, controlling actions, name-calling, threats, or refusing to respect your boundaries.—
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Verbal bullying can mean teasing, taunting, name-calling or threatening another child out loud or in writing.—
Noun
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The child's mother reported to Child Protective Services that the abuse occurred between November 2022 and spring 2024, the complaint said.—
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On one hand, some argue that Good was attempting to leave the scene, and a trigger-happy ICE agent fired his weapon at her, an abuse of authority.—
Cite this Entry
“Mudslinging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mudslinging. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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