assassinate

(ə-săs'ə-nāt')
tr.v., -nat·ed, -nat·ing, -nates.

1. To murder (a prominent person) by surprise attack, as for political reasons.
2. To destroy or injure treacherously: assassinate a rival's character.

assassination as·sas'si·na'tion n.
assassinative as·sas'si·na'tive adj.
assassinator as·sas'si·na'tor n.

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1. The traditional meaning of assassinate 'to kill an important person for political reasons' has been extended in recent times to include any person regarded by his or her killers as a political or sectarian target, including journalists, students, and civilians on the streets, and the corresponding noun assassination has followed this tendency. Examples:

Students at the University of Altantico in Antioquia were assassinated in front of a classroom in which they were being taught—Z Magazine, American English 2003

About 65 or 70 or so government officials and security forces had been targeted for assassination and random violence and killings—ABC news transcript, Australian English 2004.

2. An older figurative meaning of assassinate, meaning 'to destroy (someone's reputation)' has also been revived:

Those around Bush, many of whom came of age during Vietnam and almost none of whom served, have attempted to assassinate the character and insult the patriotism of anyone who disagrees with them—Whiskey Bar, American English 2004.

The noun is especially common in the expression character assassination:

The important thing is to end your character assassination of the manager with some magnanimity—Observer Sport Magazine, 2004.

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IN BRIEF: n. - Murder of a public figure by surprise attack; An attack intended to ruin someone's reputation.

Assassination has never changed the history of the world. — Benjamin Disraeli, Source: Speech, May, 1865.

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For a list of words related to assassination, see:

• Revolution and Antigovernment Activity - assassination: murder of political officeholder
• Crimes - assassination: murder of public figure
• Murder and Suicide - assassination: murder of a public figure

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See words rhyming with "assassinate."

Common misspelling(s) of assassinate

• assasinate

Dansk (Danish)
v. tr. - snigmyrde, begå attentat imod

Nederlands (Dutch)
vermoorden, vernietigen (m.n. goede naam)

Français (French)
v. tr. - (Pol) assassiner

Deutsch (German)
v. - ermorden

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - δολοφονώ (για πολιτικούς λόγους)

Italiano (Italian)
assassinare

Português (Portuguese)
v. - assassinato (m)

Русский (Russian)
убивать в политических целей, убить преднамеренно

Español (Spanish)
v. tr. - asesinar

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - lönnmörda

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
暗杀, 行刺

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
v. tr. - 暗殺, 行刺

한국어 (Korean)
v. tr. - 을 암살하다, 을 손상시키다

日本語 (Japanese)
v. - 暗殺する

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) يغتال, يشهوه سمعه شخص ما, اغتيال, قتل‏

עברית (Hebrew)
v. tr. - ‮רצח, התנקש‬

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