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  What it means

  Literally: “a hunt for witches.” This phrase describes a campaign in which people are targeted, persecuted, or accused based on suspicion, political motivation, or moral panic rather than solid evidence. Just as historical witch trials condemned people on flimsy pretexts, the modern idiom signals that someone is being unfairly scapegoated. It is commonly used in journalism and political commentary — for example, “To jest polowanie na czarownice, nie śledztwo” (This is a witch hunt, not an investigation). It can also appear in workplace or social contexts when someone feels singled out unjustly.

  Vocabulary

  • polowanie — hunting, a hunt (verbal noun from polować)
  • na — for, on (preposition governing accusative)
  • czarownice — witches (accusative plural of czarownica)
  • czarownica — witch

  Grammar note

  „Na" here governs the accusative case, expressing the target of the hunt. „Czarownica" is a feminine noun; its accusative plural is „czarownice." „Polowanie" is a verbal noun (from „polować," to hunt) and takes the same complement structure as the verb.

  Cultural context

  A direct equivalent of the English "witch hunt," widely understood across generations. Neutral to formal register, most common in political, journalistic, and legal discourse. Its historical roots in the persecution of alleged witches in early modern Europe give it a strong connotation of irrational, mob-driven injustice.

  Intermediate

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