feminist

1 of 2

noun

fem·​i·​nist ˈfe-mə-nist How to pronounce feminist (audio)
plural feminists
: a person who supports or engages in feminism
Similarly, Saint Thomas's resident nun, Sister Maureen (Ann Dowd), is no girlish cutie: She's an ardent, in-your-face feminist.Terrence Rafferty
He [Stendhal] was a feminist and … he held that to deprive women of education 'deprives society of half its potential for intellectual achievement'.V. S. Pritchett

feminist

2 of 2

adjective

: of, relating to, supporting, or compatible with feminism
feminist theory
the feminist movement
The act of speaking is a way women come to power, telling our stories, sharing history, engaging in feminist discussion.bell hooks
[Patricia] Ireland, past president of the National Organization for Women, is perhaps the best-known former Pan Am flight attendant of the '60s; seven years working for the airline helped inspire her feminist activism, which included campaigning for the Equal Rights Amendment.Sarah Rose

Examples of feminist in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Noun
Freeing Prince Charming As an ardent feminist, Cavallo found writing Rebel Girls came so naturally to her that the entire book was written in four months. Ashleigh N. Deluca, Parents, 27 Mar. 2025 In 1970, Santoro joined the radical Roman feminist group Rivolta Femminile (Women’s Revolt), founded that year by art critic and philosopher Carla Lonzi together with artist Carla Accardi and political journalist Elvira Banotti. Paola Ugolini, Artforum, 1 Apr. 2025
Adjective
But this season, showrunner Mike White pinpoints the willful decadence of the Western world, primarily through Yankees: the husband, wife, and 2.5 children of the Ratliff family, three freewheeling feminist matrons, plus a shady white bachelor and a single black mother. Armond White, National Review, 9 Apr. 2025 But the narrator shrinks from Solanas’s attempts to discuss feminist theory. Moira Donegan, New Yorker, 26 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for feminist

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1887, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1852, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of feminist was in 1852

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Cite this Entry

“Feminist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/feminist. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.

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