personal attacks
Targeting the person
Personal attacks are criticisms directed at a person rather than their arguments or ideas.
The phrase often appears in debates and online discussions where someone shifts from addressing the substance of a disagreement to targeting character, appearance, or motives: Let's stick to the issues and avoid personal attacks.
In logic, this is called ad hominem reasoning—attacking the speaker instead of the claim.
- verbal abuseHarmful speech targeting someone
- ad hominemArgument targeting character
- name callingInsulting with labels
- insultOffensive remark or action
- slanderSpoken false defamation
cyberbullying · abusive language · trash talking · character assassination · going for the jugular · belittlement · harassment · smear campaign · mud slinging · defamation · derision · vilification · trolling · public shaming · false accusations · poison pen · ridicule · denigration
- workplace conflictbullying, harassment, hostile environment, intimidation, mobbing
- defamationslander, libel, defamation, defamatory statement, defaming
- online trollingtrolling, trollface, bait, baiting, flame bait
personal attackspraise
Expression of approval
compliments · encouragement · kind words · affirmation · validation
personal, personality, attacked, attacker, attacking, attacks, impersonal, personalize, personalized