mudslinger
Dealer in defamation
A mudslinger is someone who makes malicious or scandalous attacks on an opponent, especially in politics.
The term evokes literally throwing mud—messy, undignified, and meant to soil the target's reputation: The campaign devolved into mudslinging between the candidates.
The related noun mudslinging describes this practice.
One who defames
- libelerOne who publishes defamation
- backbiterOne who maligns absent people
- vilifierOne who disparages
- detractorOne who diminishes
denigrator · scandalmonger · rumormonger · gossip · talebearer · traducer · smearer · accuser
Spoken false defamation
- negative adCommercial attacking an opponent
- campaignOrganized effort toward goal
- dirty politicsUnethical campaign tactics
- spinRapid rotation around axis
propaganda · opponent · candidate · rhetoric · partisan · scandal · accusation · innuendo
slanderer
One who defames
detractor · denigrator · scandalmonger · rumormonger · gossip · talebearer · traducer · smearer · accuser · reviler
slander
Spoken false defamation
- negative adCommercial attacking an opponent
- campaignOrganized effort toward goal
- dirty politicsUnethical campaign tactics
spin · propaganda · opponent · candidate · rhetoric · partisan · scandal · accusation · innuendo · whisper campaign
- defamersdefamer, slanderer, libeler, calumniator, maligner
- blabbermouthsblabbermouth, gossipmonger, rumormonger, scandalmonger, talebearer
- criticscritic, critics, criticizer, criticizers, faultfinder
- political labelsliberal, conservative, leftist, rightist, moderate
- mud wordsclay, silt, loam, muck, mire
mudslingerstraight shooter
Forthright, blunt person
honest broker · truth-teller · policy wonk · diplomat · peacemaker