activist

American  

[ak-tuh-vist] / ˈæk tə vɪst /

noun

• activists
  plural

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

---

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

See Examples For:

activist activists

He said Abbott and social activist Misan Harriman were among those who gathered to offer support as they had also experienced "horrible media attention".

From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026

Rick Bass is a writer, a former wildlife biologist and geologist, an environmental activist, and program director for the Montana Project, which helps artists advocate for open space and conservation.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

The controversy caused the company’s valuation to plunge and stirred up a longtime activist investor.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

Manuel Cuesta, a 63-year-old historian and opposition activist, recalled seeing Castro as a "redeemer" in his youth who had made Cuba what it aspired to be.

From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026

Stanton became nervous when Post nominated her friend, activist Abigail Bush, to serve as president.

From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling

The San Francisco Standard found at least 39 Flock contracts have been cancelled in 2026 so far, and community activists across the country continue to push for jurisdictions to ditch more.

From Salon ● Aug. 17, 2026

A lot of dyed-in-the-wool activists were turned off by the flippancy of AOC’s riposte, and even with my own recent grappling over the problematic emotional landscape of the movement, I can understand why.

From Slate ● Aug. 17, 2026

As residents, activists, farmers and journalists squeezed and jostled through the crowd, holding court in one corner was Budd-Falen, the high-ranking official with the Interior Department.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026

Wildlife activists have also raised questions about how the animals originally entered India.

From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026

For black activists like Mary Church Terrell, Ida B. Wells, and many others, it was impossible to separate one’s status as a woman from one’s status as an African American.

From "1919 The Year That Changed America" by Martin W. Sandler

Related Words

• combatant
• demonstrator
• fighter
• protester
• rioter