communist

American  

[kom-yuh-nist] / ˈkɒm jə nɪst /

noun

• communists
  plural

1. (initial capital letter) a member of the Communist Party or movement.

2. an advocate of communism.

3. a person who is regarded as supporting politically leftist or subversive causes.

4. (usually initial capital letter) a Communard.

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adjective

1. (initial capital letter) of or relating to the Communist Party or to Communism.

2. pertaining to communists or communism.

communist British  

/ ˈkɒmjʊnɪst /

noun

1. a supporter of any form of communism

2. (often capital) a supporter of Communism or a Communist movement or state

3. (often capital) a member of a Communist party

4. (often capital) any person holding left-wing views, esp when considered subversive

5. a person who practises communal living; communalist

6. another name for Communard

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adjective

1. of, characterized by, favouring, or relating to communism; communistic

communist Cultural  

1. A supporter of communism.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• anticommunist
  noun
• anticommunistic
  adjective
• anticommunistical
  adjective
• communistic
  adjective
• communistical
  adjective
• procommunist
  adjective
• anticommunistically
  adverb
• communistically
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• communists
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of communist

From the French word communiste, dating back to 1835–45. See common, -ist

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Explanation

Communism is a political doctrine that is an extreme form of Socialism, and anyone belonging to this particular political party is called a communist. A handful of countries call themselves communist, including China, Cuba, and North Korea — though many communists would disagree. We can find the roots of the word communist in the Latin communis, meaning "common" or "shared." These meanings certainly apply to the ideal version of Communism, which means that everyone is equal, and no one has more than anyone else. It was first used in English as both a noun and an adjective in 1841, taken from the French communiste. In the mid-20th Century, division between the U.S. and its allies and those that were Communist formed what became the “Cold War.”

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

communist communists

Mao remains officially revered as the hero of the communist revolution and founder of the People's Republic of China.

From Barron's ● Oct. 29, 2026

He went from fighting a communist insurgency in Southeast Asia to serving in a department called the Unit, which wages war using supernatural technology—and supernatural people.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

The current dispute between China and Taiwan dates to a civil war between the nationalist forces of Chiang Kai-shek, who retreated to the island in 1949 after being defeated by Mao Zedong's communist fighters.

From Barron's ● Oct. 10, 2026

Growing up with diplomat parents, Martens lived in communist countries such as Romania and Burma, now also called Myanmar.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026

On the radio, a woman’s voice was saying that Taraki, the leader of the Khalq branch of the PDPA, the Afghan communist party, was in the streets giving rousing speeches to demonstrators.

From "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini

In Germany, a democratic revolution toppled the monarchy in 1918, bringing into existence the fragile Weimar Republic, which communists in Moscow hoped would soon succumb to a communist revolution.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026

But in West Bengal and Tripura - once the great bastions of Left power - the communists have been reduced to a shadow of their former self.

From BBC ● May 26, 2026

Some are capitalists, some are communists, but we’re all Cubans, divided by chance, circumstance and the sea.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 3, 2026

Brown and black coal mining employed about 100,000 people in the 1980s, when the former Czechoslovakia was ruled by Moscow-steered communists promoting heavy industry.

From Barron's ● Jan. 29, 2026

In October 1949, communists seized power in China, the world’s most populous country.

From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin

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