personal attack

noun

personal attack

noun

1

An abusive remark about a person, without supporting evidence.

Basically, it is a personal attack on an arguer that brings the individuals's personal circumstances, trustworthiness, or character into question.1989, Douglas N. Walton, Informal Logic:

Derived terms: personal attacker, personally attack
Related terms: insult, offense, swearword

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.