feminist
Americanadjective
noun
-
feminists
plural
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:
Like many women of my generation who worked right away after the war, I don’t like the word feminist because I find it’s unnecessary.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2026
Suk’s scholarship focuses on the processes of constitutional amendment and reform and the feminist constitutional movements.
From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2026
“Wives” shares some of the same impulses of Caryl Churchill’s brilliant, time-hopping feminist comedy “Top Girls,” but the comparison isn’t really a fair one.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
The Latin Grammy-winning artist has long championed feminist causes and challenged sexual harassment in the entertainment industry — a topic central to her 2024 Netflix documentary, “Mon Laferte, Te Amo.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2026
The same month Sojourner Truth made her speech, a history-making feminist friendship was forged between Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
For decades now, American feminists have asked our government to do more to support families and children.
From Slate ● Sep. 14, 2026
Ms. also took flak from some of Steinem’s sister feminists, who contended that it cast women as victims.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
At the time, the union drew gasps of surprise and even disappointment from some feminists, who had spent years following Steinem's heated debates surrounding marriage laws.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
In what way do tradwives and feminists need each other?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026
I was either hard-driving and angry or, with my garden and messages about healthy eating, I was a disappointment to feminists, lacking a certain stridency.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
