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• maximalist
  maximalist

  noun

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

  noun

  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

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; see maximal, -ist

Explanation

A maximalist is someone who thinks things should be done in the biggest and boldest way possible. In politics, maximalists demand major changes, usually with the goal of ending capitalism. Political maximalists believe in doing whatever is needed to obtain a goal. For Marxists, that means taking the necessary steps to achieve socialism — even a revolutionary overthrow of the current government. A less radical maximalist might endorse fighting for several major social changes immediately, without compromise. The term comes from this push to achieve the maximum amount of political objectives, rather than settling for the minimum. You can also use it to describe a busy, colorful, cluttered decorating style.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

maximalist Maximalist

Three items may be plenty for tartines; a big, maximalist salad could happily accommodate eight or ten.

From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2026

So the overall frame was comedy, but I kind of have quite a maximalist sensibility.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2026

A maximalist to the end, he likes things ornate.

From Slate ● Jun. 11, 2026

The comparison between Obama's rather minimalist version and Trump's maximalist gold-accented Oval is plain, if unspoken.

From Barron's ● Jun. 4, 2026

Showtime’s “Twin Peaks: The Return,” which aired 18 episodes in 2017, was the most maximalist farewell imaginable, the kind of enormous canvas on which Lynch had always hoped to compose.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026

Their home is proof, as Dazey outlines in her new book, “The Maximalist: Colorful Interiors for Bold Living,” out May 20, that our homes should make us happy by reflecting who we are.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 12, 2025

Eddie Ross, the co-founder of Maximalist Studios near Philadelphia, answered your questions on Thursday about setting a beautiful holiday table.

From Washington Post ● Dec. 15, 2022

“Toibin seeks to grasp the entirety of Mann’s life and times, the way a biographer might, and he does so quite neatly. Maximalist in scope but intimate in feeling, ‘The Magician’ never feels dutiful.

From New York Times ● Sep. 9, 2021

Maximalist in scope but intimate in feeling, “The Magician” never feels dutiful.

From New York Times ● Aug. 31, 2021

These activities culminated in an attempt on the part of the Maximalist leaders to organize a giant demonstration in the streets on June 23, 1917.

From The Story of the Great War, Volume VI (of VIII) History of the European War from Official Sources by Reynolds, Francis J. (Francis Joseph)