McCarthyism

noun

Mc·​Car·​thy·​ism mə-ˈkär-thē-ˌi-zəm 

 also  -ˈkär-tē-

: a mid-20th century political attitude characterized chiefly by opposition to elements held to be subversive and by the use of tactics involving personal attacks on individuals by means of widely publicized indiscriminate allegations especially on the basis of unsubstantiated charges

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

Examples of McCarthyism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The play, which was adapted from the 2005 film, follows journalist Edward R. Murrow, played by Clooney, in his efforts to take down Sen. Joseph McCarthy and McCarthyism on air amid concerns from the federal government and CBS station heads. —Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 15 May 2025

The poet’s occasional philippics against capitalist excess are hard to distinguish from postwar politics, when former allies became lethal enemies, while in America the Red Scare of McCarthyism loomed. —William Logan, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025

The Crucible, in which the goings on in Massachusetts Bay around 1692 made for a master class take-down of McCarthyism. —Greg Evans, Deadline, 14 Apr. 2025

And then Arthur Miller himself wrote the play as an allegory for McCarthyism. —Nick Romano, EW.com, 14 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Joseph R. McCarthy

First Known Use

1950, in the meaning defined above