[know-noth.ing.ism] n (1854) 1 cap K&N: the principles and policies of the Know-Nothings
2: the condition of knowing nothing or desiring to know nothing or the conviction that nothing can be known with certainty esp. in religion or morality 3 often cap K&N: a mid-twentieth century political attitude characterized by anti-intellectualism, exaggerated patriotism, and fear of foreign subversive influences