auto-da-fé
- noun
- /ˌɔːtoʊdəˈfeɪ/
- Literature
:
auto-da-fé
- After the scandal, the politician faced an online auto-da-fé that destroyed his reputation.
Examples
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The book's publication provoked an intellectual auto-da-fé, with critics demanding the author's withdrawal.
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The online community staged an auto-da-fé against the influencer.
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Company executives tried to stop the employee's auto-da-fé on social media by issuing statements.
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After the scandal, the media's auto-da-fé was relentless.
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After the scandal, the politician faced an online auto-da-fé that destroyed his reputation.
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The book's publication provoked an intellectual auto-da-fé, with critics demanding the author's withdrawal.
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Company executives tried to stop the employee's auto-da-fé on social media by issuing statements.
How Humiliating
Surface Forms
Etymology
Auto-da-fé comes from Portuguese auto 'act' and fé 'faith' and is now often used figuratively for a public act of shaming or collective condemnation. A helpful way to remember this modern use is to think of an online 'trial' where a crowd judges and destroys someone's reputation, like those old public punishments.