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

See Examples For:

activist activists

Plus, Google reshuffles senior AI ranks and Shake Shack draws an activist.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

In the words of South African freedom activist Steve Biko, “If you want to say something radical, you should dress conservatively.”

From Slate ● Aug. 3, 2026

Under pressure from activist investors, Southwest has announced major changes recently.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 1, 2026

Zirin’s lively biography of this activist should remind everyone that history isn’t just about facts and figures but also context and compassion.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026

Married and in her early forties, Rosa Parks was widely known as an activist through her work with the Montgomery NAACP.

From "Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice" by Phillip Hoose

South Korean police raided the Starbucks national headquarters Wednesday, the chain's local operator told AFP, following allegations an advertising campaign defamed activists slain in 1980 pro-democracy protests.

From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026

The Mahajan family has joined with animal-rights activists advocating the ban and on July 27 announced plans to sue the city.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026

For this milestone year, Brighton and Hove Pride moved to honour early those activists and "remember the courage it took to be visible".

From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026

Cole tells the story of the Freedom to Marry campaign that I led and our success in winning marriage for same-sex couples as an example of “the power of citizen activists to make constitutional law.”

From Slate ● Aug. 3, 2026

For Hoover, that included getting his agents—often called G-men—to monitor left-wing activists.

From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield

Related Words

• combatant
• demonstrator
• fighter
• protester
• rioter