maximalist

[ mak-suh-muh-list ]

/ ˈmæk sə mə lɪst /

noun

a person who favors a radical and immediate approach to the achievement of a set of goals or the completion of a program.

Nearby words

maxima, maximal, maximal dose, maximal ideal, maximal permissible dose, maximalist, maximilian, maximilian armor, maximilian i, maximilian ii, maximin

Origin of maximalist

< Russian maksimalíst, coinage orig. applied in 1906 to an extreme splinter group of the Russian Socialist-Revolutionary party; see maximal, -ist

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for maximalist

First, he argued that they could ban anyone who doesn't agree with a maximalist notion of secure borders.
'Is It Good For The Jews?' Is Not The Question|Shany Mor|December 9, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Norman was the very antithesis of minimalism—he was a maximalist.
Joyce Carol Oates Salutes Norman Mailer|Joyce Carol Oates|October 24, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The maximalist goal is to apply enough economic pressure to incite domestic revolution and the fall of the regime.
Iran Sanctions: What's the Mission?|David Frum|October 15, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The maximalist goal should strongly appeal to those who'd like to see a better and more just world.
Iran Sanctions: What's the Mission?|David Frum|October 15, 2012|DAILY BEAST

The U.S. has three goals vis-a-vis Iran: minimalist, maximalist and in-between.
Iran Sanctions: What's the Mission?|David Frum|October 15, 2012|DAILY BEAST
On July 18, 1917, there was a sudden outburst of Maximalist activity, the most violent which had yet occurred.
The Story of the Great War, Volume VI (of VIII)|Various

British Dictionary definitions for maximalist (1 of 2)

maximalist

/ (ˈmæksɪməlɪst) /

noun

a person who favours direct action to achieve all his goals and rejects compromise

British Dictionary definitions for maximalist (2 of 2)

Maximalist

/ (ˈmæksɪməlɪst) /

noun (in early 20th-century Russia)

a member of the radical faction of Social Revolutionaries that supported terrorism against the tsarist regime and advocated a short period of postrevolutionary working-class dictatorship

a less common name for a Bolshevik

Compare Minimalist

Word Origin for Maximalist

C20: from French, a translation of Russian; see Bolshevik

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

Word Origin and History for maximalist

maximalist

"extreme radical in the Russian Socialist Revolutionary Party," early 20c., from maximal + -ist; denoting "one who insists on all his demands." Related: Maximalism.