un-American
[ uhn-uh-mer-i-kuh n ]
/ ˌʌn əˈmɛr ɪ kən /
|
adjective
not American; not characteristic of or proper to the U.S.; foreign or opposed to the characters, values, standards, goals, etc., of the U.S.
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Origin of un-American
An Americanism dating back to 1810–20
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for un-american
un-American
adjective
not in accordance with the aims, ideals, customs, etc, of the US
against the interests of the US
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
un-American
1818, from un- (1) "not" + American.
Everything is un-American that tends either to government by a plutocracy or government by a mob. [Theodore Roosevelt, 1917]
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
un-American
A term used, primarily by extreme conservatives, to attack principles or practices considered to be at odds with the values of most Americans. Many object to the use of the term on the grounds that it is vague, shortsighted, and intolerant.
Note
The House of Representatives maintained a Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC) for several years. It was especially known for investigation of alleged communists. (See Alger Hiss.)
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.