McCarthyism
[ muh-kahr-thee-iz-uhm ]
/ məˈkɑr θiˌɪz əm /
noun
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.
the practice of making unfair allegations or using unfair investigative techniques, especially in order to restrict dissent or political criticism.
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OTHER WORDS FROM McCarthyism
Mc·Car·thy·ite, noun, adjectiveWords nearby McCarthyism
McCahon, McCall, McCandless, McCarran-Walter Act, McCarthy, McCarthyism, McCarthy, Joseph R., McCarthy, Mary, McCartney, McCauley, McCay
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for McCarthyism
McCarthyism was the norm: a threat to democracy laid to rest by the legislative branch of the American government.
The NRA is certainly less of an evil than slavery, but is it really less ugly than McCarthyism?
But by 1953, with McCarthyism and the second Red Scare in full swing, the FBI moved from surreptitious research to direct contact.
British Dictionary definitions for McCarthyism
McCarthyism
/ (məˈkɑːθɪˌɪzəm) /
noun mainly US
the practice of making unsubstantiated accusations of disloyalty or Communist leanings
the use of unsupported accusations for any purpose
Derived forms of McCarthyism
McCarthyite, noun, adjectiveWord Origin for McCarthyism
C20: after Joseph McCarthy
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
Cultural definitions for McCarthyism
McCarthyism
The extreme opposition to communism shown by Senator Joseph R. McCarthy and his supporters in the 1940s and 1950s.
notes for McCarthyism
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.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.