noun
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a person who supports pacifism
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a person who refuses military service
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
See Examples For:
Following its World War II defeat in 1945, Japan has maintained a pacifist stance, with its army restricted to defensive operations.
From Barron's ● Jun. 24, 2026
Since coming to power in October 2025, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has taken major steps away from the country's post-war pacifist stance, lifting long-standing restrictions on arms exports and expanding Japan's military role abroad.
From BBC ● May 7, 2026
Japan's pacifist constitution that followed had been drafted "with the resolve that we must never again wage war or kill people", she said.
From Barron's ● May 3, 2026
Leo’s speech to Italian military chaplains last month suggested he isn’t a pacifist.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 26, 2026
He talked of the pacifist views he’d held before World War II. He talked of his love of world travel and the environment and college football.
From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin
Mr. Kurlansky’s heart seems to lie with the pacifists, even as he recognizes their practical shortcomings.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 9, 2025
The Amish are pacifists, he hastened to add.
From New York Times ● Nov. 23, 2024
Both are pacifists who raised their children at the kibbutz, where everybody knows their neighbors.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 6, 2023
"These people are not pacifists; they have intentionally or otherwise become pawns of the aggressor," Wang wrote.
From Reuters ● Oct. 12, 2023
The guards, some of whom had previously identified themselves as pacifists, fell quickly into the role of hard-bitten disciplinarians.
From "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell
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.
