What does "mccarthyism" mean?
The mass pressure, harassment, and/or blacklisting used to pressure people to follow popular political beliefs, especially as opposed to communism.
Mccarthyism
/məˈkɑː.θi.ɪzəm/ name, noun
name, noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The mass pressure, harassment, and/or blacklisting used to pressure people to follow popular political beliefs, especially as opposed to communism.
- Grammar: mccarthyism is listed as name, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: harassment, oppression, persecution, political persecution.
- Useful contrasts: civil liberties, civil liberties protections, due process.
- Usage evidence: Older Jewish socialists consider McCarthyism to have been a pogrom.
How to use "mccarthyism"
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Meaning check
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Source and review context
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Definition decision workflow
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Definitions
Noun
- 1 The mass pressure, harassment, and/or blacklisting used to pressure people to follow popular political beliefs, especially as opposed to communism. derogatory, uncountable, usually
"This is McMuskism: it’s McCarthyism on steroids, political persecution + Trump + Musk + Silicon Valley surveillance tools. It’s the dawn of a new age of political witch-hunts, where burning at the stake meets data harvesting and online mobs."
- 2 unscrupulously accusing people of disloyalty (as by saying they were Communists) wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 The intense opposition to, and fear and suspicion of, Communism, particularly in the United States during the 1950s.
"An important symptom of the difference between McCarthyism and Birchism is the shift in the geographical center of gravity."
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
civil libertiescivil liberties protectionsdue process
Example
"Older Jewish socialists consider McCarthyism to have been a pogrom."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "mccarthyism"?
Common synonyms include: harassment, oppression, persecution, political persecution, red baiting, smear campaign.
How do you use "mccarthyism" in a sentence?
Older Jewish socialists consider McCarthyism to have been a pogrom.
How do you pronounce "mccarthyism"?
Pronounced /məˈkɑː.θi.ɪzəm/.
Etymology
Etymology tree Irish Mac Carthaighbor. English McCarthy Proto-Indo-European *-id- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti Proto-Hellenic *-íďďō Ancient Greek -ῐ́ζω (-ĭ́zō) Proto-Indo-European *-mos Proto-Indo-European *-mós Ancient Greek -μός (-mós) Ancient Greek -ισμός (-ismós)der. English -ism English McCarthyism From McCarthy + -ism, named after United States Senator Joseph McCarthy. Originates from a 1950 Washington Post political cartoon by Herbert Block.