assassination
assassination
Pronunciation
The IPA phonetic spelling for "assassination" is /əˌsæs.əˈneɪ.ʃən/ (General American) or /əˌsæs.ɪˈneɪ.ʃən/ (Received Pronunciation).
Syllable Breakdown
The word has five syllables: a-ssas-si-na-tion.
1st Syllable: /ə/ (a schwa, like the 'a' in about)
2nd Syllable: /sæs/ (like the 'sass' in sassy)
3rd Syllable: /ə/ or /ɪ/ (a schwa, or the 'i' in bit)
4th Syllable: /neɪ/ (like the 'nay' in nay)
5th Syllable: /ʃən/ (like the 'shun' in action)
Word Form Variations
The term "assassination" is a noun. Other related word forms, including its verb and agent noun, are:
Noun (Singular): assassination
Noun (Plural): assassinations
Verb (Base/Infinitive): assassinate
Verb (Present Participle): assassinating
Verb (Past Tense/Past Participle): assassinated
Noun (Agent Noun): assassin
Adjective (Related): assassinative (less common)
Adjective (Related): unassassinated (negation of the verb's past participle)
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Noun: Assassination
Definition 1 (Literal): The planned, treacherous, and lethal attack on a prominent political figure or other public leader, typically driven by ideological motives, revenge, or political upheaval.
Synonyms: murder, homicide, execution, slaying, liquidation, rubout (slang)
Antonyms: aid, protection, defense, preservation, birth, restoration
Definition 2 (Figurative/Extended): A malicious and calculated verbal or written attack intended to ruin or destroy a person's public image or reputation.
Synonyms: character assassination, defamation, vilification, calumny, slander, hatchet job (informal)
Antonyms: praise, commendation, vindication, glorification, endorsement
Verb: Assassinate
Definition 1 (Literal): To commit an assassination; to murder a key public or political figure by means of a sudden or secretive attack, often for a political or ideological goal.
Synonyms: murder, kill, execute, slay, liquidate, eliminate, take out (slang)
Antonyms: revive, protect, defend, shield, safeguard
Definition 2 (Figurative/Extended): To deliberately and viciously destroy someone's reputation or character through harsh criticism or slander.
Synonyms: defame, slander, vilify, malign, blackwash, discredit
Antonyms: praise, laud, commend, uphold, validate, vindicate
Examples of Use
The word "assassination" is widely used in media and discourse to describe the politically motivated murder of a prominent figure, or figuratively, the destruction of a reputation.
📰 News and Online Publications (Literal Use)
Geopolitical Reporting: "The international community condemned the assassination of the opposition leader, demanding an immediate independent investigation into the circumstances of his death" (Reuters, January 2024).
Historical Analysis: "Historians continue to debate the full impact of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand's assassination on the outbreak of World War I" (Smithsonian Magazine, November 2023).
Legal/Political Commentary: "Security around the presidential candidate has been dramatically increased following an attempted assassination that was foiled last night" (CNN, March 2024).
📚 Books and Literature (Literal and Figurative Use)
Historical Fiction: In the novel A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James, the plot centers around the attempted assassination of Bob Marley in 1976.
Suspense/Thriller: The term is key to the legal thriller The Pelican Brief by John Grisham, which begins with the simultaneous assassinations of two Supreme Court justices.
Political Drama/Figurative: "The senator survived the vote, but the year-long character assassination campaign waged by his opponents left his public standing permanently damaged."
🎬 Entertainment Media and Platforms
Film Titles: The word is central to titles and themes in cinema, such as The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007) and Oliver Stone's JFK (1991), which explores the conspiracy theories surrounding the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
Television Series: The second season of the anthology series American Crime Story was titled "The Assassination of Gianni Versace," detailing the murder of the fashion designer.
Video Games: The popular 'Assassin's Creed' franchise (Ubisoft, first released November 2007) is built entirely around secret societies of assassins throughout history, where the core gameplay mechanic involves missions to carry out political assassinations.
🗣️ General Public Discourse (Figurative Use)
Social Media Commentary (Figurative): "Don't let one bad review become a total character assassination of your work; focus on the constructive points."
Sports Talk: "The sports commentator launched a complete assassination of the coach's game-day strategy after the loss."
Political Punditry: "A poorly worded soundbite can lead to a media assassination that the politician may never recover from."
10 Famous Quotes Using Assassination
“Assassination is the extreme form of censorship.” (George Bernard Shaw)
“Assassination has never changed the history of the world.” (Benjamin Disraeli, May 1865)
“The death of democracy is not likely to be an assassination from ambush.” (Robert Maynard Hutchins, 1952)
“The important thing to know about an assassination or an attempted assassination is not who fired the shot, but who paid for the bullet.” (Eric Ambler, A Coffin for Dimitrios, 1939)
“As one whose husband and mother-in-law have died the victims of murder and assassination, I stand firmly and unequivocally opposed to the death penalty for those convicted of capital offenses.” (Coretta Scott King)
“Those who want the Government to regulate matters of the mind and spirit are like men who are so afraid of being murdered that they commit suicide to avoid assassination.” (Harry S. Truman)
“The best government is a benevolent tyranny tempered by an occasional assassination.” (Voltaire)
“An assassination is not simply a violent crime; it is a political and psychological act with profound historical consequences.” (Richard N. Current)
“The American Dream has run out of gas... It supplies the world with its nightmares now: the Kennedy assassination, Watergate, Vietnam.” (J. G. Ballard)
“You're not a baby boomer if you don't have a visceral recollection of a Kennedy and a King assassination, a Beatles breakup, a U.S. defeat in Vietnam, and a Watergate.” (P. J. O'Rourke)
Etymology
The word assassination has a fascinating and historically specific origin.
The root of the word comes from the Arabic term ḥaššāšīn, which means "hashish-users."
This term was used in the late 11th to 13th centuries as a derogatory name for the Nizari Ismailis, a secretive Muslim sect based in the mountains of Persia and Syria. European Crusaders encountered this group and misinterpreted or were told exaggerated tales that these devoted fighters were given hashish before being sent on their missions to murder political and religious opponents.
Evolution into English
The term traveled from Arabic to European languages, primarily through Italian and French, changing its form along the way:
Arabic: Ḥaššāšīn (The hashish-users).
Medieval Latin/Italian: Assissini or Assassini.
English: The agent noun, assassin, entered English first around the 1300s.
The verb form, assassinate, and the corresponding noun, assassination, appeared much later, during the late 16th and early 17th centuries, coinciding with a period of intense political and religious upheaval in Europe.
First Known Use and Meaning
The modern English word assassination was first recorded in the early 1600s (circa 1610).
First Meaning: The word's earliest meaning in English directly reflected its historical origins: the murder of a person (especially a prominent public figure) in a planned attack, typically with a political or ideological motive.
The word's formal entry into the language is often associated with William Shakespeare, who used the verb in his play Macbeth (circa 1605): "If it were done when 'tis done, then 'twere well it were done quickly: if the assassination could trammel up the consequence..."
In essence, the word moved from being a pejorative name for a specific ancient group of political murderers to becoming the universal term for the politically motivated killing of a public figure.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Assassination
The word "assassination" is highly specific, so it appears in very few common idioms. Its related verb form, assassinate, and a close synonym are more often found in figurative phrases.
Here is a list of phrases and idioms, including those using the related verb or a synonym to convey a similar figurative meaning:
Phrases and Idioms Using "Assassination" (or Related Noun)
Character assassination: The most common idiomatic use; a deliberate and malicious attempt to ruin a person's reputation or public image through slander and defamation.
Assassination attempt: An organized but unsuccessful effort to murder a prominent figure.
Political assassination: A specific term for a killing carried out for political or ideological motives.
Contract for assassination: A formal agreement, usually among criminals, to hire a killer to murder a target.
Phrases Using Related Verb or Synonyms (For Similar Figurative Effect)
To assassinate a reputation: To destroy a person's standing or credibility (using the verb form).
To commit a literary murder: (Lesser-known/Original figurative use) To critique a piece of writing so harshly and completely that it is destroyed or utterly discredited.
To take out a political rival: (Using a synonym) To eliminate a political opponent, often implying a metaphorical or literal "killing" of their career.
A smear campaign: (Using a synonym for character assassination) An organized effort to defame a person or group.
To knife someone in the back: (Idiom using a synonym's meaning) To betray someone treacherously, often leading to their figurative professional downfall.
To put a contract out on: (Idiom using a synonym) To arrange for the murder of a person (a literal use, but often used figuratively in crime fiction or drama to mean 'seriously target someone for elimination').
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of assassination from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
