activist

American  

[ak-tuh-vist] / ˈæk tə vɪst /

noun

activists plural

1. an especially active, vigorous advocate of a cause, especially a political cause.

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adjective

1. of or relating to activism or activists.

   an activist organization for environmental concern.

2. advocating or opposing a cause or issue vigorously, especially a political cause.

   Activist opponents of the president picketed the White House.

Usage

What does activist mean? An activist is a person who engages in activism—the practice of taking direct action to achieve political or social goals. An activist may support a particular cause (or range of causes) or oppose it. In any case, an activist tries to achieve such goals through direct (and continued) actions, such as protests, lawsuits, lobbying, petitions, and strikes. The word activist implies that the person takes such actions consistently—that they are consistently active in these pursuits. For example, protesting is a form of activism, but someone who attends one protest probably wouldn’t be called an activist (unless they continue to take such actions). The word activist is often preceded by a word referring to the kind of cause the activist is involved in, as in political activist or animal rights activist. It can also be used as an adjective to describe such people or their activities, as in activist lawyer or activist organization. Example: The prominent activist is known for organizing this summer’s mass protests.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonactivist
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• activists
  plural

Etymology

Origin of activist

First recorded in 1905–10; active + -ist

Explanation

An activist is a person who campaigns for some kind of social change. When you participate in a march protesting the closing of a neighborhood library, you're an activist. Someone who's actively involved in a protest or a political or social cause can be called an activist. Demonstrations, strikes, and sit-ins are all ways that an activist might work toward the change she believes in. The root word of activist is the Latin actus, "a doing, a driving force, or an impulse." Someone who acts on what she believes is an activist.

Example Sentences

Activist investor Starboard Value also revealed in March a $350 million stake in the company and urged Barr to review costs and upgrade the company’s digital trade-in experience.

From Barron's • Jun. 17, 2026

Activist investors who want to force changes at underperforming closed-end funds take advantage of this rule by buying up a bunch of shares and then trying to change how the fund is run.

From Slate • Jun. 11, 2026

Activist Sean Clerkin told the Scottish Sun that he was contacting police about the alleged misuse of £667,000 in donations raised for an independence campaign.

From BBC • Jun. 4, 2026

Activist investor Jana Partners urged Markel to sell noninsurance units and buy back $2 billion of stock, or nearly 10% of market value.

From Barron's • May 8, 2026

Activist critiques like those from Denny and Deloria have had relatively little impact on mainstream archaeologists and anthropologists.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

Related Words

• combatant
• demonstrator
• fighter
• protester
• rioter