McCarthyism

American  

[muh-kahr-thee-iz-uhm] / məˈkɑr θiˌɪz əm /

noun

1. the practice of making accusations of disloyalty, especially of pro-Communist activity, in many instances unsupported by proof or based on slight, doubtful, or irrelevant evidence.

2. the practice of making unfair allegations or using unfair investigative techniques, especially in order to restrict dissent or political criticism.

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McCarthyism British  

/ məˈkɑːθɪˌɪzəm /

noun

1. the practice of making unsubstantiated accusations of disloyalty or Communist leanings

2. the use of unsupported accusations for any purpose

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McCarthyism Cultural  

1. The extreme opposition to communism shown by Senator Joseph R. McCarthy and his supporters in the 1940s and 1950s.

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Discover More

McCarthyism has become a general term for the hysterical investigation of a government's opponents or the publicizing of accusations against these opponents without sufficient evidence to support the charges.

Other Word Forms

• McCarthyite noun

Etymology

Origin of McCarthyism

1950, after J. R. McCarthy; -ism

Example Sentences

McCarthyism is remembered so well because it was finally extinguished by the mainstream: Congress censured McCarthy, and Eisenhower criticized him.

From Salon

She describes it as “about McCarthyism and the Red Scare. It’s a little bit of a murder mystery too.”

From Los Angeles Times

Berkeley, as Aptheker describes it, was still caught in the tail end of the McCarthyism of the 1950s, when the 1st Amendment was almost felled by fear of government reprisals.

From Los Angeles Times

In the 1950s, the rise of McCarthyism saw it used to accuse suspected communists of plotting against America, resulting in the Hollywood blacklists.

From Salon

“I made my first movie in 1958. It was at the tail end of McCarthyism, when so many careers were destroyed,” she recalled.

From Salon