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

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Etymology

Origin of activist

First recorded in 1905–10; active + -ist

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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

They included conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer, conservative activist Scott Pressler, and Katie Miller, a podcaster married to White House advisor Stephen Miller.

From Barron's ● Nov. 3, 2026

In 1964 free-speech activist Jack Weinberg told the San Francisco Chronicle that “you can’t trust anybody over 30.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2026

Jane Demian, an Eagle Rock retiree and longtime activist and volunteer, said she would have voted for Bass if the opponent were Pratt, but Raman will get her vote.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2026

Away from acting, he was a passionate political activist and a long-time supporter of the Labour Party, as well as a campaigner for victims of domestic abuse.

From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026

Prominent black journalist and activist Ida B. Wells was a vocal critic of the suffragist movement’s racism.

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

The protest movement brings together Yellow Vest activists, trade unions, and high school and university students.

From Barron's ● Oct. 31, 2026

The protest movement, which brings together Yellow Vest activists, trade unions, and students, initially focused on the cost of living, inequality, and deteriorating learning conditions.

From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026

Environmental activists, fishing advocates and Native leaders strongly criticized the plan, saying it will allow cities and farms to take far too much water out of the Delta.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026

Someone in the area can be heard using whistles, a tool that some activists have employed to alert people when ICE is in the area.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026

Many years later there is something called bilingual education—a scheme proposed in the late 1960s by Hispanic- American social activists, later endorsed by a congressional vote.

From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez

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Related Words

• combatant
• demonstrator
• fighter
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