noun
-
a person who supports pacifism
-
a person who refuses military service
adjective
Other Word Forms
- antipacifist noun
- nonpacifist noun
- propacifist noun
- semipacifist adjective
- unpacifist adjective
Etymology
Origin of pacifist
From the French word pacifiste, dating back to 1905–10. See pacific, -ist
Explanation
A person who opposes the use of war or violence to settle a dispute is called a pacifist. If you are a pacifist, you talk through your differences with others instead of fighting. A pacifist is a peacemaker — even its Latin origins of pax, or "peace" and facere, "to make" show it. If you are a pacifist, you avoid physical confrontations. The beliefs and actions of peacemakers can also be described as pacifist, as in someone whose pacifist beliefs lead him to take part in nonviolent protests against a war.
Vocabulary lists containing pacifist
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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.
“For us, being a pacifist country wasn’t just a political label. It has been our moral compass after the tragedy,” said Yagi.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 28, 2026
Sending its Self-Defense Forces abroad is politically sensitive in officially pacifist Japan, as many voters support the US-imposed, war-renouncing 1947 constitution.
From Barron's • Mar. 16, 2026
Under Japan’s largely pacifist constitution, the nation would be permitted to mobilize its defense forces to defend Japan with military force if it faced such a severe threat.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 14, 2025
The student they shared an apartment with, the Wiccan pacifist without enemies, somehow seemed a convenient one.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 19, 2025
A small country, forced to live by its wits, its foreign policy contained a strong pacifist element.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
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.
