What does the term "McCarthyism" mean?
accusations of dlsloyalty, subversiveness, or treason without evidence
anti-communism
witch-hunts
congressional committee investigations
acts of sedition
The term McCarthyism refers to "witch-hunts," -- specifically witch hunts that intended to "out" and persecute communists in the United States during the Cold War, since McCarthy was an avid anti-Communist who instilled a great deal of paranoia into American society.