secessionist
Americannoun
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of secessionist
Explanation
A secessionist is someone who wants to break away from a larger group. People who make plans to split from their government and form a new country are secessionists. Secessionist comes from secede, "formally withdraw from," and its Latin roots, which mean "go apart." A secessionist wants to make a break, almost always from their country. The Civil War was a fight between the Union and a coalition of 11 secessionist states that supported slavery. These states split off from the rest of the country after Abraham Lincoln was elected on an anti-slavery platform.
Vocabulary lists containing secessionist
Unit 1: Telling Details
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Vocabulary from Readings 2, Unit 1
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Lincoln's Spymaster
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Secessionist parties won a regional election in December, but they have failed to agree on how the region should be ruled.
From Washington Post • Feb. 23, 2018
Secessionist rhetoric revealed a variety of motives and ambitions.
From Textbooks • Jan. 18, 2018
Here in Vegas, a city he bizarrely considers to be like Vienna during the Secessionist period, he’s in his element being out of this element.
From The Guardian • Jan. 23, 2016
Secessionist movements have also made headway in Spain, Italy, and Belgium, and can be found in numerous other countries throughout the world.
From Slate • Sep. 11, 2014
He has been the most active Secessionist in Adair County, and the most desperate one.
From A Lieutenant at Eighteen by Optic, Oliver
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
