suffragist

American  

[suhf-ruh-jist] / ˈsʌf rə dʒɪst /

noun

1. an advocate of the grant or extension of political suffrage, especially to women.

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suffragist British  

/ ˈsʌfrədʒɪst /

noun

1. an advocate of the extension of the franchise, esp to women

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suffragist Cultural  

1. A participant in the women's movement to win voting rights in the United States. The fight for women's suffrage was organized in the middle of the nineteenth century. Wyoming, while not yet a state, granted women's suffrage in 1869, though the struggle for universal suffrage was to last another fifty years. In 1920, the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified, guaranteeing that no state could deny the right to vote on the basis of sex.

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Other Word Forms

• antisuffragist
  noun
• suffragism
  noun
• suffragistically
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of suffragist

First recorded in 1815–25; suffrage + -ist

Compare meaning

How does suffragist compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• suffragist vs. suffragette

Explanation

Before 1920, women did not have the right to vote in the U.S. The suffragist movement fought for these rights, and the people who were part of that movement were suffragists. The word suffrage means the right to vote in elections. It does not have to do with suffering. In America, the individual states determine who may vote. However, the U.S. Constitution states in the 19th Amendment that women shall not be denied the vote based upon their sex. Suffragists fought hard to bring this constitutional amendment about. Back then, female suffragists were known as suffragettes.

Example Sentences

Ms. Gray is the author of “Nellie McClung,” a biography of Canada’s best known suffragist.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 28, 2025

That’s when theatrical producer Rachel Sussman approached her with the book “Jailed for Freedom,” written by suffragist and legal rights advocate Doris Stevens and published in 1920.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 17, 2025

Consider the Haitian Revolution, American abolitionist movement, and suffragist campaigns: history shows that morally expansive recognition of rights, even to beings considered “property,” often aligns with broader human liberation.

From Salon • May 17, 2025

The family and Perkins shared a mutual contact: reformer and suffragist Gertrude Ely, of Pennsylvania.

From Slate • Jan. 26, 2025

The first instance of organized resistance to the suffragist movement took place in 1871 when Godey’s Lady’s Book published a petition to the US Congress opposing votes for women.

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

Related Words

• citizen
• resident
• taxpayer