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

Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, a senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, compared the move to McCarthyism in the 1950s, when authorities prosecuted left-wing individuals amid a widespread public panic over communism and its influence on US institutions. —Jade Walker, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2025

There was fear and suspicion due to the growing Cold War and the rise of McCarthyism. —Time, 29 July 2025

Democrats invoked the spectre of McCarthyism for other Democrats with heavy-handed satire and puppets. —Matthew Carey Salyer, Forbes.com, 24 July 2025

Joe Biden? — other than a modern version of McCarthyism? Historically, presidents have more often been the victims than perpetrators of violence. —Mark Green, New York Daily News, 18 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Joseph R. McCarthy

First Known Use

1950, in the meaning defined above