🟥 Accusing of communism 🟥 Accusation of communism 🟥 To accuse of communism

red-baiting

8.8

Saying things to make someone look bad by calling them a communist

adjective
/ˈrɛdˌbeɪtɪŋ/

Offensive

: macartista

During the debate, she accused her opponent of red-baiting to distract from real issues.

Examples

The candidate's red-baiting comments were criticized as unfair and misleading by several journalists.
Many historians have studied the impact of red-baiting on political discourse in the 1950s.
The politician's red-baiting tactics were widely criticized.
Many considered his comments to be a form of red-baiting.
The candidate's red-baiting remarks were condemned for undermining serious political discussions.
Many citizens felt that the media was engaging in red-baiting by labeling dissenters as communists.
Amidst the election season, red-baiting emerged as a controversial strategy among various political parties.

Antonyms

to support

∞ 1.0

Give help to a person or idea

to defend

691 2.8

To speak up to support a person or idea when others criticize it

Surface Forms

red-baiting positive

Morphology

red-baiting = red-bait (semi-transparent) = red + bait + ing

The components 'red' + 'bait' are compositionally clear, but the political sense of 'red' and the idiomatic sense of 'bait' as 'attack/discredit' may not be obvious to all learners.

Etymology

Red-baiting comes from the colour red, long used on the communist flag, and bait, which means 'to lure' or 'to attack'. So, red-baiting (as an adjective) describes words or actions that accuse someone of being a communist to make them look bad.