witch-hunter

Thân thiện

A witch-hunter points an accusing finger at a villager in the town square.

Definition

Noun: 1. A person who seeks out and punishes others for holding unorthodox or unpopular beliefs: Historically, this term referred to individuals, often officials, who actively pursued and prosecuted people accused of witchcraft. In modern usage, it is a metaphor for someone who investigates and attacks people for their political views, opinions, or associations, often in an unfair, fanatical, or public manner.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The senator was accused of being a witch-hunter for aggressively investigating citizens with dissenting political views.
  • In the 1950s, some politicians acted like witch-hunters, targeting individuals suspected of communist sympathies.
  • The journalist criticized the online mob, calling them digital witch-hunters for their campaign to ruin people over past comments.

Advanced Usage

• "To engage in witch-hunting": To participate in or lead a campaign of persecution against a person or group for their beliefs.
  • The committee was accused of engaging in witch-hunting rather than conducting a fair investigation.

Variants and Related Words

• Witch-hunt (n): The act or campaign of persecuting or punishing people for their opinions, often with little evidence.
  • The political purge was widely condemned as a witch-hunt.

Synonyms

• Persecutor
• Inquisitor
• Zealot (in this specific context)

Related Idioms/Phrases

• To lead a witch-hunt: To instigate or direct a campaign of persecution.
  • The newspaper editorial claimed the new policy would lead a witch-hunt against immigrants.

Học thuật

Noun

1. someone who identifies and punishes people for their opinions