assassinated
Killed for power
Assassinated is the past tense of assassinate—to murder a prominent person, typically for political or ideological reasons.
The victim is usually a political leader, activist, or public figure: President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas.
The word implies deliberate targeting rather than random violence.
Unlike ordinary murder, assassination carries historical weight and suggests the killing was meant to change the course of events.
Professional paid murderer
- sniperConcealed precision shooter
- ambushSurprise strike from concealment
- stealthSecret, undetected movement
- undercoverSecretly engaged in espionage
clandestine · espionage · infiltrate · cloak-and-dagger · poisoner · concealment · disguise · surreptitious
Violent sudden disturbance
- griefIntense sorrow from loss
- outrageFierce moral indignation
- mourningPeriod following loss
- traumaLasting psychological wound
martyr · legacy · memorial · vigil · aftermath · state funeral · succession · political upheaval
Midwestern state capital
- JFK35th president's monogram
- CaesarRoman imperial title
- GandhiIndian independence leader
- Archduke Franz FerdinandAustrian heir, killed 1914
MLK · Rasputin · Bhutto · Rabin · Sadat · McKinley · Garfield · Trotsky
Causing another's death
- premeditatedPlanned before acting
- murderDeliberate unlawful killing
- felonySerious criminal offense
- perpetratorOne who commits wrongdoing
culprit · conspiracy · accomplice · guilty · conviction · manhunt · investigation · motive
hitman
Professional paid murderer
- sniperConcealed precision shooter
- ambushSurprise strike from concealment
- stealthSecret, undetected movement
undercover · clandestine · espionage · infiltrate · cloak-and-dagger · poisoner · concealment · disguise · surreptitious · secretive
shock
Violent sudden disturbance
trauma · martyr · legacy · memorial · vigil · aftermath · state funeral · succession · political upheaval · turning point
Lincoln
Midwestern state capital
Archduke Franz Ferdinand · MLK · Rasputin · Bhutto · Rabin · Sadat · McKinley · Garfield · Trotsky · Aquino
homicide
Causing another's death
- premeditatedPlanned before acting
- murderDeliberate unlawful killing
- felonySerious criminal offense
perpetrator · culprit · conspiracy · accomplice · guilty · conviction · manhunt · investigation · motive · warrant
- Lincoln assassinationMurder of sixteenth president
- character assassinationDestroying someone's good name
- assassination attemptEffort to kill a prominent figure
- assassination plotScheme to kill a target
- political assassinationKilling for governmental change
- Kennedy assassinationPresidential murder, 1963