character assassination

character assassination
    n 1: an attack intended to ruin someone's reputation [syn:
         {character assassination}, {assassination}, {blackwash}]
    

35 Moby Thesaurus words for "character assassination":
      attack, backbiting, backstabbing, belittlement, blackening,
      calumny, defamation, defamation of character, defilement,
      denigration, depreciation, dirt, dirty politics, disparagement,
      gossip column, juicy morsel, last-minute lie, malicious defamation,
      malicious gossip, muckraking, mudslinging, mudslinging campaign,
      name-calling, political canard, revilement, roorback, scandal,
      scandalmongering, slander, smear, smear campaign, smear word,
      tidbit, vilification, whispering campaign