activist
Americannoun
adjective
-
of or relating to activism or activists.
an activist organization for environmental concern.
-
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
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of activist
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.
Vocabulary lists containing activist
Indigenous Peoples' Day
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This Week In Words: Current Events Vocab for December 26, 2020—January 1, 2021
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Just Do It: Act
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The chain has experienced other problems as well, including remodels that backfired, agitation among activist investors and same-store sales that have wobbled over Masino’s three-year tenure.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
Trump has also heard recently from right-wing activist Laura Loomer, who reversed her longstanding criticism of Ukraine after traveling to Kyiv and interviewing Zelensky.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Decades later, activist Angela Davis credited “The Liberation of Aunt Jemima” with spurring the Black women’s movement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
In the words of 22-year-old Sakhi, a student activist in Delhi, "for the first time, it felt like we can make things happen through protests".
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
McKissick, just five years older than Moore, not only believed in developing new strategies for achieving racial justice; he was an activist in his own right.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
Like many of the artists and activists being targeted today, Smith’s writings advocating peace and equality for all people made her a primary target of the state.
From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026
The Liuzzo family was harassed for their mother’s activism even after her death, but the event galvanized activists all over the country, becoming one impetus for Congress to finally pass the landmark 1965 legislation.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
A main topic of discussion was a possible boycott against Home Depot, which activists say has not done enough to stop the raids.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026
On Wednesday, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, dozens of opposition MPs, activists and celebrities renewed their request to him to call off his hunger strike.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
As governor, he withheld law enforcement protection for the Freedom Riders—the black and white college students and activists who traveled south in the early 1960s to desegregate public facilities in recognition of new federal laws.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
