assassinate

assassinate, assassination

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, AmE 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, AusE 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, AmE 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.