McCarthyism
11
8.5
- noun
- /məˈkɑrθiˌɪzəm/
- Literature
:
macartismo
- Almost immediately, al Arian's defenders argued that his dismissal was an example of the new McCarthyism, which was taking place as a result of the Bush administration's war on terrorism.
- McCarthyism in the 1950s
And yeah, McCarthyism to the NTH degree.
- And yeah, McCarthyism to the NTH degree.
- They, they're the biggest practitioners of McCarthyism in real time, which they would probably resent, but it just happens to be accurate.
Examples
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Named after its most notorious practitioner, the phenomenon known as McCarthyism destroyed thousands of lives and careers.
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It was known as McCarthyism, and it destroyed thousands of lives and careers.
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McCain perfectly understands that a return to McCarthyism will only damage our country further.
Blog text (16) -
In the 1950s, McCarthyism threatened scholarly freedom.
Academic text (1993) -
McCarthyism is only one example of such aftereffects that are still haunting the remains of American democracy.
Academic text (1993) -
The word 'blacklist' immediately reminds me of McCarthyism, which was one of the darkest periods in the USA's 20th century.
Blog text (32) -
During McCarthyism in the 1950s, the antihomosexual hearings in the Senate began as a byproduct of the anticommunist scare.
Academic text (1997) -
During the era of McCarthyism, many artists and intellectuals faced unjust accusations of disloyalty.
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The chilling effects of McCarthyism led to widespread fear and silence among those with opposing views.
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In American history, McCarthyism is often cited as an example of the dangers of political witch hunts.
Synonyms
85
7.7
A campaign to unfairly find and punish people for their beliefs or actions
9
4.8
Making unfair personal attacks to damage someone's reputation in politics
4
9.3
A false statement that damages someone's reputation
A claim that someone is a communist to make them look bad
Telling lies about someone to harm what people think of them
Surface Forms
Morphology
McCarthyism = McCarthy (semi-transparent) = McCarthy + ism
Formed from the proper name 'McCarthy' + '-ism' (denoting a political practice or ideology); the morphological relation is clear but full understanding requires historical/political knowledge.
Etymology
McCarthyism is named after Senator McCarthy, who in the 1950s accused many people of being Communists without proof. The ending -ism means 'practice or system', as in capitalism or socialism, so McCarthyism means the 'practice of making unfair or unproven accusations'.