Fascist (epithet)The word
fascist is sometimes used to denigrate people, institutions, or groups that would not describe themselves as
ideologically fascist, and that may not fall within the formal definition of the word. As a political epithet, the word
fascist has been applied mainly to a broad range of people and groups on the
extreme right, but also to groups on the
far left and at points in between. It has also been applied to people of many
religious faiths, particularly
fundamentalist groups. The individual, institution, or group(s) called fascist often find the use of the term in this way to be highly offensive and inappropriate.
In this sense, the word
fascist is intended to mean "
oppressive", "
intolerant", "
chauvinist", "
genocidal", "
dictatorial", "
racist", or "
aggressive" – all concepts that are at least loosely inspired by the ideology of actual
fascism. One might accuse an inconveniently placed
police roadblock as being a "fascist tactic" or an overly
authoritarian teacher as being "a total fascist". Terms like
Nazi and
Hitlerite, are often used in similar contexts.