麦卡锡主义是指美国历史上一个时期，在这个时期，威斯康星州的美国参议员约瑟夫·麦卡锡在1950年代进行了一系列调查和听证，试图揭露美国政府各个领域中所谓的共产党渗透。这个词后来成为通过广泛宣传的无差别指控，尤其是基于没有根据的指控来毁坏人品或声誉的代名词。
McCarthyism, name given to the period of time in American history that saw U.S. Sen. Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin produce a series of investigations and hearings during the 1950s in an effort to expose supposed communist infiltration of various areas of the U.S. government. The term has since become a byname for defamation of character or reputation by means of widely publicized indiscriminate allegations, especially on the basis of unsubstantiated charges.
