🇮🇹Italian Source WordCode: IT

caccia alle streghe

Pronunciation / Transliteration: cat-cha al-le stre-ghe

🇬🇧 Direct English Meaning:
Witch-hunt/ˈwɪtʃ.hʌnt/
nounCEFR C1 (Advanced)Top #4500 frequency
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🇮🇹 Example Sentence in Italian:

"Ha descritto le accuse come una caccia alle streghe."

Comprehensive Definitions & Senses

2 senses
As noun
  1. 1

    A campaign directed against a person or group holding unorthodox or unpopular views, often conducted using unfair investigative methods.

    "The politician claimed that the corruption allegations against him were merely a political witch-hunt."
  2. 2

    The literal search for and persecution of people accused of witchcraft, historically prominent in early modern Europe and America.

    "Historical records from Salem detail the tragic panic of the 1692 witch-hunt."

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Antonyms & Contrasting Words (1)

Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology

Derived from the historical practice of searching out and persecuting persons accused of witchcraft, particularly during the early modern period in Europe and colonial America. Over time, the term evolved metaphorically to describe a campaign directed against a particular person or group, often politically motivated and based on intense public hysteria rather than actual evidence.

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