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Synonyms

card-carrying

American  
[kahrd-kar-ee-ing] / ˈkɑrdˌkær i ɪŋ /

adjective

  1. admittedly belonging to a group or party.

    a card-carrying Communist.

  2. Often Facetious. dedicated to an ideal, profession, or interest.

    a card-carrying humanist.


card-carrying British  

adjective

  1. being an official member of a specified organization

    a card-carrying union member

    a card-carrying Communist

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of card-carrying

First recorded in 1945–50

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.

The card-carrying couple made a similar pilgrimage in Australia, where they were baffled by the jars of a seasoning called chicken salt.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 22, 2026

I wanted to know what was behind the party’s vibe shift, so I called up Paulina Mangubat, digital content and creative director for the Democratic National Committee and a card-carrying millennial/zoomer cusper.

From Slate • Jun. 11, 2025

Writing for the Telegraph, Ms Mahmood, who describes herself as a "card-carrying member" of her party's "law and order wing", said that "tough community orders work."

From BBC • May 17, 2025

She isn’t a card-carrying member of the WGA, but has been on the picket line as part of SAG-AFTRA.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 7, 2023

Holly was our server quite regularly, and she wasn’t exactly a card-carrying member of the Daisy and Holmesy fan club, possibly on account of our coupon-driven Applebee’s strategy and limited resources for tipping.

From "Turtles All the Way Down" by John Green

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