Some experts nevertheless believe that, in recent years, Democrats have become more likely to use the term.

“The Democrats have grabbed it and used it to disparage the wealthy — what they see as the robber barons — whereas back in the ’40s, ’50s and ’60s, ‘un-American’ had more of a geopolitical tone as opposed to an economic tone,” said Tobe Berkovitz, a communications professor at Boston University.

“The term ‘un-American’ would tag you as a commie whereas now ‘un-American’ tags you as sort of being an evil wealthy person, preying on the poor.”

Others suggest that the word is freighted with meaning that lends itself more easily to use by conservatives.

“The left will use the term to point out undemocratic activities or behavior but the problem is that the term has a center of gravity that shifts it toward the right,” said Joseph Litvak, an English professor at Tufts University who is the author of The Un-Americans: Jews, the Blacklist and Stoolpigeon Culture.