kompromat

American  

[kom-pruh-mat] / ˈkɒm prəˌmæt /

noun

Russian.

1. compromising and incriminating material that is sometimes forged or fabricated, used to sabotage or discredit a political opponent or public figure.

   Kompromat can destabilize the political process and undermine trust in governments and institutions.

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Etymology

Origin of kompromat

First recorded in 1990–95; short for kompro(metiruyushchiy) mat(erial), literally, “compromising material”

Example Sentences

The Russian language has introduced a few words that in recent years have been widely used and misused in English: disinformation, kompromat, Novichok.

From New York Times • Feb. 21, 2021

Dzhirkvelov describes how West German journalists on a PR trip to Moscow in May 1961 were told that the KGB possessed highly classified kompromat, or compromising material, on Strauss.

From Slate • Nov. 22, 2019

He alleged that the illegal materials had been planted on his computer as a form of kompromat, or compromising material commonly used in the former Soviet Union to embarrass or blackmail political adversaries.

From Washington Post • Oct. 30, 2019

On the home front, kompromat also seems near to hand.

From Salon • Jul. 21, 2018

Rep. Joaquin Castro of Texas: All right, director, can you describe to the American people the Russian concept of kompromat?

From Washington Times • Nov. 26, 2017