What is the difference between an assasination and a murder?

Question

Is there any difference other than the importance of the person being killed?

Answer 1

Nope, they are both dead.

however, an assassination is used mainly to deify the slain and to satanize the assasin, but not to strike continued fear in the populas

Murder is ment to strike fear in the hearts of the populas so that you don't feel safe going to bed at night.  There by making it easier for your rights to be taken away, in the name of "safety"

Answer 2

An assassination usually involves killing someone in authority, or who is famous. That means that the John Lennon killing was an assassination.

A murder is simply the premeditated killing of one human being by another.

Answer 3

No difference.

Answer 4

assasination=killer gets paid

murder=not paid

Answer 5

I would define an assassination as the planned murder of someone prominent, usually to gain or shift power in some way.

Edit: BTW, ANYONE can copy and paste from an online dictionary....doesn't really show any knowledge.

Answer 6

Murder - The unlawful killing of one human by another, especially with premeditated malice.

Assassination - To murder (a prominent person) by surprise attack, as for political reasons.

An assassination is usually done so that the killer achieves a sort of notoriety (usually to make a political statement) so that their cause receives much publicity.

Answer 7

For all these intelligent answers that people give, there is no difference, Killing is killing no matter what the reason and is wrong anyway you look at it!

Answer 8

An assasination is assigned by a government.. And it is subtype of murder... A person who assasinates someone would receive the same penalties as a murderer, but they normally don't get caught now do they....

So Assasination is just a specific type of murder.

Answer 9

murder is the unlawful taking of a life and assassination is the murder of a political figure in order to change things or prevent a political action.

this is why our leaders in government are given a security detail who protect them and will take a bullet for them.

it's true murder is murder, but WHO you murder makes the difference....sad, but true.

Answer 10

Assassination by definition is the killing of a high profile individual.

Murder is by defintion - is the unlawful killing of a human being with malice aforthought.

The difference is soley in the social class of the individual.