Ad Hominem

Synonyms of ad hominem

• character assassination
• personal attack
• below the belt

Antonyms of ad hominem

• logical
• objective
• rational

Collocations of ad hominem

attack

Frequency: 70 %

His argument was weakened by resorting to personal attacks.

argument

Frequency: 65 %

She couldn't counter his points, so she resorted to ad hominem fallacies.

debate

Frequency: 60 %

The debate turned ugly when one participant started using ad hominem attacks instead of logical arguments.

criticism

Frequency: 50 %

Her criticism of his work was dismissed as an unfounded ad hominem attack.

response

Frequency: 45 %

Instead of addressing the issue, she reacted with an emotional ad hominem response.

Idiomatic Expressions for ad hominem

• Phrase: play the man, not the ball
  Meaning: to focus on attacking an opponent personally rather than addressing the substance of their arguments
  Usage: Instead of engaging in ad hominem attacks, it's more productive to focus on the actual issues being discussed.