mudslinging

[muhd-sling-ing]

noun

1. an attempt to discredit one's competitor, opponent, etc., by malicious or scandalous attacks.

mudslinging

/ ˈmʌdˌslɪŋɪŋ /

noun

1. casting malicious slurs on an opponent, esp in politics

Other Word Forms

• mudslinger noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of mudslinging¹

First recorded in 1880–85; mud + sling ¹ ( def. ) + -ing ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

This week’s mudslinging comes courtesy of the initial House documents—from the Epstein estate, or those the Justice Department didn’t mind parting with.

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"It's not been our finest 24 hours in government," one senior figure in government acknowledged to me, after mudslinging one way and another, some in public, plenty more in private.

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But let's get to the aftermath of all that mudslinging.

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Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook dismissed the allegations, saying it was "yet more mudslinging" from the Conservatives "in a desperate bid to stay relevant as a party".

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She dismissed Tory criticism as "desperate mudslinging".

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