ad hominem

[ ad hom-uh-nuhm -nem, ahd‐ ]

See synonyms for ad hominem on Thesaurus.com

adjective

attacking an opponent's character or motives rather than answering the argument or claim.
appealing to one's prejudices, emotions, or special interests rather than to one's intellect or reason.: Compare ad feminam.

Origin of ad hominem

First recorded in 1580–90 for def. 2, and in 1780–90 for def. 1; from Latin: literally, “to the man, to the person,” i.e., to the passions or prejudices or interests of the person

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use ad hominem in a sentence

But it has become increasingly ad hominem, with particular focus on his alleged anti-Semitism.
Defending Chuck Hagel | Brent E. Sasley | December 21, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
When it comes to ad hominem attacks, neither Woffinden nor Rose can rest on safe ground.
BBC Critics Cry Witch Hunt in Newsnight Child-Abuse Report | Peter Jukes | November 14, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
This was hardly an ad hominem assault, though West interpreted it that way.
Does Allen West Hate Women? | Michelle Goldberg | July 22, 2011 | THE DAILY BEAST
It was a masterful bit of hypocritical eloquence, of argumentum ad hominem; but it was made to simple and illiterate hearers.
The Code of the Mountains | Charles Neville Buck
And thus, when in future they are condemned, they will say ad hominem that they are unjust, and thus will refute their judgment.
The Thoughts of Blaise Pascal | Blaise Pascal

It was not to this, however, that he directed his objection: the argumentum ad hominem came more easily to him.
The Long Night | Stanley Weyman
But it was the Argumentum ad hominem; and if my uncle Toby was not very expert at it, you may think, he might not care to use it.
The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman | Laurence Sterne
In a case like this the argumentum ad hominem, though a perfectly fair one, is a perfectly useless one.
The Contemporary Review, Volume 36, November 1879 | Various

British Dictionary definitions for ad hominem

ad hominem

/ Latin (æd ˈhɒmɪˌnɛm) /

adjective, adverb

directed against a person rather than against his arguments
based on or appealing to emotion rather than reason

Origin of ad hominem

literally: to the man

Compare ad rem
See also argumentum ad hominem

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for ad hominem

ad hominem

[ (ad hom-uh-nem, ad hom-uh-nuhm) ]

A Latin expression meaning “to the man.” An ad hominem argument is one that relies on personal attacks rather than reason or substance.

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