maximalist

American  

[mak-suh-muh-list] / ˈmæk sə mə lɪst /

noun

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

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Maximalist ¹ British  

/ ˈmæksɪməlɪst /

noun

1. 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

2. a less common name for a Bolshevik

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maximalist ² British  

/ ˈmæksɪməlɪst /

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of maximalist

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

Example Sentences

Color—lots of it—is in, with homeowners ditching neutral decor for maximalist interiors.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026

Her concurrence is too cryptic, though, to be of much use to lower courts trying to make sense of Gorsuch’s maximalist rhetoric.

From Slate • Mar. 31, 2026

The key is to have fun with building and customizing your maximalist egg.

From Salon • Mar. 21, 2026

One of the game's harsher critics, Shacknews' Will Borger, said the game's "maximalist" approach worked against it, and felt it only succeeded "half the time".

From BBC • Mar. 19, 2026

It was an ode to the joyous, maximalist world that Arnold meticulously and affectionately built in both life and art — because for him there was no distinction, art was life.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 25, 2026