McCarthyism

[muh-kahr-thee-iz-uh m]

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.

Origin of McCarthyism

1950, Americanism; after J. R. McCarthy; see -ism

Related formsMc·Car·thy·ite, noun, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for mccarthyism

Contemporary Examples of mccarthyism

McCarthyism was the norm: a threat to democracy laid to rest by the legislative branch of the American government.
No Lobby is More Powerful Than the People
Justin Green
December 20, 2012
The NRA is certainly less of an evil than slavery, but is it really less ugly than McCarthyism?
No Lobby is More Powerful Than the People
Justin Green
December 20, 2012
But by 1953, with McCarthyism and the second Red Scare in full swing, the FBI moved from surreptitious research to direct contact.
Inside Howard Zinn's FBI Files
Clark Merrefield
July 30, 2010

British Dictionary definitions for mccarthyism

McCarthyism

noun mainly US

the practice of making unsubstantiated accusations of disloyalty or Communist leanings
the use of unsupported accusations for any purpose

Derived FormsMcCarthyite, noun, adjective

Word 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

Word Origin and History for mccarthyism

McCarthyism

1950, with -ism + name of U.S. Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy (1908-1957), leader of U.S. anti-Communist agitation. The term is said to have been coined by "Washington Post" political cartoonist Herbert Block ("Herblock"). The surname is from Irish Mac Carthaigh "son of Carthach" (Welsh Caradawc), an ancient Celtic name, also known in its Latinized form, Caractacus (last of the British leaders to resist Rome, captured 51 C.E.)

mccarthyism in Culture

McCarthyism

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

Note

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.