boo-word

British

/ ˈbuːˌwɜːd /

noun

any word that seems to cause irrational fear

"communism" became a boo-word in the McCarthy era

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

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

From The Guardian • Jun. 11, 2014

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023