feminist
Americanadjective
noun
noun
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of feminist
First recorded in 1850–55 (probably in the current sense, but possibly in the sense “feminine, womanly”); from Latin fēmina “woman” + -ist ( def. )
Explanation
A feminist is someone who supports equal rights for women. If your brother objects strongly to women being paid less than men for doing the same job, he's probably a feminist. If you believe that women should have the same political, social, and economic rights as men, you are a feminist. It has absolutely nothing to do with putting down men or boys in order to elevate the status of women. The word feminist comes from feminism, which originally meant simply "being feminine," or "being a woman," but gained the meaning "advocacy of women's rights" in the late 1800s.
Vocabulary lists containing feminist
When Fake is Real: Young People Rebel Against Instagram, Via Instagram
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Brown Girl Dreaming
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Chapter 29: The Civil Rights Era
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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:
"So really it's a misunderstood hotbed of feminist advancement - because it disguised its purposes so carefully."
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
Bess Wohl’s “Liberation,” this year’s most decorated play, reanimates the history of the 1970s feminist movement by questioning what it could be leaving out of the picture.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026
On one side are progressive, feminist, so-called Brooklyn Dads, who are famously driven by a belief that they should split child-rearing responsibilities with their partners equally.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
She said she believed in being a feminist through her actions.
From Barron's ● Jun. 4, 2026
One of the small ways Stanton showed solidarity with her feminist friends was to wear “bloomers,” the controversial new fashion, a below-the-knee skirt worn over loosely fitting pants.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
When “Legally Blonde” first came out, I was ready to write off Elle Woods for similar reasons many first- and second-wave feminists dismissed Marilyn Monroe.
From Salon ● Jul. 6, 2026
But feminists should not be cowed — and not just because this case, a version of which was already litigated in Carroll’s favor, is likely to crumble in court.
From Salon ● May 29, 2026
It is a distinction to which feminists are apparently alive, though one that may not have occurred to readers who have enjoyed the inner accounts of C.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 6, 2026
As she collected the prize, Dean dedicated the award to author Bell Hooks and "all the black feminists that inspire me to love better and love the people in my life".
From BBC ● Mar. 26, 2026
One of the most famous—or infamous—of these New Departure feminists was Victoria Claflin Woodhull.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
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.
