boo-word

/ ˈbuːˌwɜːd /

noun

any word that seems to cause irrational fear
"communism" became a boo-word in the McCarthy era

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

It is nothing to do with terrorism, or even the elastic boo-word of Islamism.

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