— know-nothingism , n.
/noh"nuth'ing/ , n.
1. an ignorant or totally uninformed person; ignoramus.
2. an agnostic.
3. ( caps. ) U.S. Hist. a member of a political party (American party or Know-Nothing party) prominent from 1853 to 1856, whose aim was to keep control of the government in the hands of native-born citizens: so called because members originally professed ignorance of the party's activities.
4. a person whose anti-intellectualism, xenophobia, and other political attitudes recall the Know-Nothings.
adj.
5. grossly ignorant; totally uninformed.
6. agnostic.
7. ( caps. ) of or pertaining to the Know-Nothings.
8. of or pertaining to a political know-nothing.
[ 1815-25 ]