activist

1 of 2

noun

ac·​tiv·​ist ˈak-ti-vist How to pronounce activist (audio)
plural activists
: one who advocates or practices activism : a person who uses or supports strong actions (such as public protests) in support of or opposition to one side of a controversial issue
Antiwar activists were protesting in the streets.
an environmental activist
political activists
The conventional wisdom is that young people no longer care enough to stand up for what is important; that the days of activism and protest have faded into the past, the bailiwick of aging hippies and activists.The Easton (Massachusetts) Journal
activistic adjective
What is news to me … is how much alike were the fears and concerns of both activistic Democrats and skeptical Republicans … Nathan Glazer

activist

2 of 2

adjective

: advocating or practicing activism : using or supporting strong actions in support of or opposition to one side of a controversial issue
For the activist groups that will carry the nomination fight to the public, the name of the game is hit early and often.Richard Lacayo
Pressing demands that are both global and granular, the activist investor has turned himself into one of the food sector's most influential players, affecting how millions of people eat each day.Julie Jargon
They plan to become activist shareholders who will protest global-warming resolutions and anything else that undermines corporate profitability.John J. Miller

Examples of activist in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
For more than a decade, neighbors and community activists have been calling for any proposal to include affordable housing as a way to atone for the residents who were kicked out. Maritza Dominguez, The Arizona Republic, 25 Mar. 2024 In early February, a group of U.S.-based activists started a grassroots movement called Operation Olive Branch, or OOB, to help with the overwhelming number of crowdfunding requests from Palestinian families. TIME, 25 Mar. 2024 He and his third wife, activist Alejandra Silva, have been married since 2018. Andrew Walsh, EW.com, 23 Mar. 2024 The day after the vote, Northland activist Jaz Hays, went on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, to say the project was not worthy of a taxpayer subsidy and implied that Chaves and his supporters had bought council support with $108,000 in campaign contributions. Mike Hendricks, Kansas City Star, 22 Mar. 2024 Environmentalists and community activists have filed three statewide ballot proposals in a counter-move against the oil and gas industry’s attempts to sway public policy by putting a slew of questions before voters. Judith Kohler, The Denver Post, 22 Mar. 2024 Social media influencer and animal activist Elena Larrea has died at the age of 31. Kimberlee Speakman, Peoplemag, 22 Mar. 2024 Alongside the crumbling portico, Williams is displaying a human-scale monument of the trans activist Marsha P. Johnson. Zachary Small, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2024 Related Articles Larry Magid is a tech journalist and internet safety activist. Larry Magid, The Mercury News, 21 Mar. 2024
Adjective
In a presentation posted to the shareholder campaign website Vote Disney, the House of Mouse included highlights of its success with franchises as the company is waging a proxy fight with activist investor Nelson Peltz. Kevin Dolak, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Mar. 2024 The activist investor didn’t nominate directors for seats on the board of Illumina before a deadline to do so passed, the person said, asking not to be identified discussing confidential information. Crystal Tse, Fortune, 12 Mar. 2024 The activist investor Elliott Management, which previously led shake-ups at Salesforce and Pinterest, took a $1 billion stake in Match Group in January, a sign that Wall Street sees an opportunity for growth. J. Edward Moreno, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2024 Both Karamo and Hoekstra, plus the vast majority of their activist supporters, back Trump for president. Paul Egan, Detroit Free Press, 2 Mar. 2024 Now an activist investor is circling The lawsuit cited the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7 strike in 2022 against Kroger’s King Soopers supermarkets in the Denver area. Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 29 Feb. 2024 The proxy fight between activist investors and the Walt Disney Co.’s current board is heating up as the heirs of Walt and Roy Disney, who founded the company in 1923, have publicly announced their support for Bob Iger. Stacy Perman, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2024 Another activist investor, ValueAct, is backing Disney amid the Trian and Blackwells challenges. Brooks Barnes, New York Times, 29 Feb. 2024 This has caught the attention of an activist investor, which is pressuring Mattel to change course and better reward its shareholders. Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 29 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'activist.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1920, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1917, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of activist was in 1917

Dictionary Entries Near activist

Cite this Entry

“Activist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/activist. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

activist

noun
ac·​tiv·​ist
ˈak-ti-vəst
: a person who believes in forceful action (as a mass demonstration) for political purposes
activism
-ˌviz-əm
noun
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!