noun
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a person who supports pacifism
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a person who refuses military service
adjective
Other Word Forms
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.
“It is clear that the animosity felt by those who have long opposed the presence of the Pacifist Memorial in Sherborn is what is generating the opposition,” Randa said.
From Seattle Times • Aug. 23, 2019
The Pacifist Memorial, where Randa recently raised the UN flag, is the main feature of the site.
From Seattle Times • Aug. 23, 2019
Pacifist calls to stop a cycle of violence clash with a human need for justice and a larger rage against a system they believe has failed them.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 23, 2014
Inside Aleppo: Why a Pacifist Teacher Keeps Going to School @dguttenfelder "Fire all of your guns at once and explode into space."
From Time • Apr. 22, 2013
Until later, Tab, Your Pacifist Working Boy III Mrs. Levy helped the renovated Miss Trixie up the steps and opened the door.
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
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.
