McCarthyism

1 of 2

noun (1)

Mc·​Car·​thy·​ism mə-ˈkär-thē-ˌi-zəm 

also -ˈkär-tē-

: a mid-20th century political attitude marked by opposition to elements held to be subversive and by the use of unsubstantiated and widely publicized personal attacks

broadly : defamation of character or reputation through such tactics

McCarthyist

mə-ˈkär-thē-ist 

also -ˈkär-tē-

adjective

McCarthyite

mə-ˈkär-thē-ˌīt 

also -ˈkär-tē-

noun or adjective

McCarthyite

2 of 2

noun (2)

Mc·​Car·​thy·​ite mə-ˈkär-thē-ˌīt also -ˈkär-tē- 

variants or less commonly McCarthyist

mə-ˈkär-thē-ist also -ˈkär-tē- 

plural -s

: a person approving of or practicing McCarthyism

Examples of McCarthyism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The periods before and after the Civil War spring to mind, along with the corruption of the Gilded Age and the repression of McCarthyism. —The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 10 Mar. 2026

Bannon doesn’t see this as a departure from the original McCarthyism. —Ali Breland, The Atlantic, 6 Mar. 2026

Even the topical songs of the sixties folk movement constituted a revival, a reinvention of the Popular Front-style political art of the thirties and forties, for the waning years of McCarthyism. —Mitch Therieau, New Yorker, 7 Feb. 2026

The Lilith Society becomes an escape, particularly as the legacy of McCarthyism hovers over the city. —Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 4 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Joseph R. McCarthy

Noun (2)

Joseph R. McCarthy + English -ite or -ist

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1950, in the meaning defined above