McCarthyism

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UK/məˈkɑː.θi.ɪzəm/US/məˈkɑɹ.θi.ɪzəm/

noun

The mass pressure, harassment, and/or blacklisting used to pressure people to follow popular political beliefs, especially as opposed to communism.

OriginEnglish McCarthy ← Irish Mac Carthaigh →
UncommonScrabble 25
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Meanings

nounMcCarthyism (usually uncountable, plural McCarthyisms)

plural McCarthyisms

  1. derogatoryuncountableusuallyThe mass pressure, harassment, and/or blacklisting used to pressure people to follow popular political beliefs, especially as opposed to communism.

    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.

    2024 November 17, Carole Cadwalladr, “How to survive the broligarchy: 20 lessons for the post-truth world”, in Katharine Viner, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 28 Nov 2024
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.

    1964, Daniel Bell, The Radical Right, page 234

Origin

  1. IrishMac Carthaigh
  2. EnglishMcCarthy
  3. EnglishMcCarthyism

From McCarthy + -ism, named after United States Senator Joseph McCarthy. Originates from a 1950 Washington Post political cartoon by Herbert Block.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan cacera de bruixes, maccarthisme
  • cacera de bruixesmass pressure
  • maccarthismeintense opposition to Communism
Chinese Mandarin 麥卡錫主義 /麦卡锡主义, 麥卡錫主義 /麦卡锡主义
  • 麥卡錫主義 /麦卡锡主义 (Màikǎxīzhǔyì)mass pressure
  • 麥卡錫主義 /麦卡锡主义 (Màikǎxīzhǔyì)intense opposition to Communism
Dutch mccarthyisme, mccarthyisme
  • mccarthyismemass pressure
  • mccarthyismeintense opposition to Communism
Finnish mccarthyismi
  • mccarthyismiintense opposition to Communism
French maccarthysme
  • maccarthysmeintense opposition to Communism
German Blockwartmentalität, McCarthyismus
  • Blockwartmentalitätmass pressure
  • McCarthyismusintense opposition to Communism
Greek μακαρθισμός, μακαρθισμός
  • μακαρθισμός (makarthismós)mass pressure
  • μακαρθισμός (makarthismós)intense opposition to Communism
Italian maccartismo
  • maccartismointense opposition to Communism
Japanese マッカーシズム
  • マッカーシズム (makkāshizumu)intense opposition to Communism
Polish maccartyzm, maccartyzm
  • maccartyzmmass pressure
  • maccartyzmintense opposition to Communism
Portuguese macartismo, macarthismo
  • macartismointense opposition to Communism
  • macarthismointense opposition to Communism
Russian маккарти́зм
  • маккарти́зм (makkartízm)intense opposition to Communism
Spanish macartismo, macarthismo
  • macartismointense opposition to Communism
  • macarthismointense opposition to Communism
  • maccarthismointense opposition to Communism
  • mccarthismointense opposition to Communism
Vietnamese chủ nghĩa McCarthy
  • chủ nghĩa McCarthyintense opposition to Communism
Cite this entry
APA

McCarthyism. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/McCarthyism

MLA

“McCarthyism.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/McCarthyism. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “McCarthyism,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/McCarthyism.

Source: McCarthyism on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.