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Definitions

hatchet job

NOUN
malicious verbal attack
Synonyms
WEAK
ax job calumniation defamation dismantlement poison-pen letter unmaking

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The groundbreaking first film - Ricky Gervais's favourite - focused on Tap's disastrous US tour, and the band still brand DiBergi's treatment as "a hatchet job".

From BBC • Sep. 11, 2025

Which doesn’t mean “Crumb: A Cartoonist’s Life,” is a hatchet job.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 11, 2025

“It’s below me to even dignify this hatchet job with a response.”

From New York Times • Nov. 20, 2022

The filmmakers behind HBO’s explosive documentary "Allen v. Farrow" have welcomed the filmmaker to share his side of the story after a spokesperson called the series a "hatchet job."

From Fox News • Mar. 15, 2021

He subsequently published the story after deciding that Jefferson had failed to pay him adequately for his hatchet job on Adams.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis