n.
Pronunciation: m ə - ' kär-th ē - ˌ i-z ə m also - ' kär-t ē -
Function: noun
Etymology: Joseph R. McCarthy
Date: 1950
: 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 McCarthyite tactics
– McCarthyist adjective
– Mc · Car · thy · ite \ - ˌ ī t \ noun or adjective