survivalist

noun

sur·​viv·​al·​ist sər-ˈvī-və-list How to pronounce survivalist (audio)
: a person who advocates or practices survivalism
especially : one who has prepared to survive in the anarchy of an anticipated breakdown of society
survivalist adjective

Examples of survivalist in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The page indicates that the festival is looking for individuals who can lead activities like whale shark diving, cliff jumping, luxury catamaran sails or survivalist challenges. Greta Cross, USA Today, 30 Mar. 2025 Proponents of this survivalist mindset see it as justifying particular programs of technological escalation at any cost, framing the future as a desperate race against catastrophe rather than a space for multiple thriving possibilities. Rebecca Charbonneau, Scientific American, 6 Feb. 2025 The series started out on a grisly note of survivalist determination, with Cara hunting down and killing a man who dared trifle with the Dutton clan. Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 10 Mar. 2025 Simu Liu co-stars in a new survivalist escape movie about deep-sea divers battling the elements to rescue their crewmate. Adam Davidson, NBC News, 28 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for survivalist

Word History

First Known Use

1950, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of survivalist was in 1950

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Cite this Entry

“Survivalist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/survivalist. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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