secessionist
Americannoun
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of secessionist
Explanation
A secessionist is someone who wants to break away from a larger group. People who make plans to split from their government and form a new country are secessionists. Secessionist comes from secede, "formally withdraw from," and its Latin roots, which mean "go apart." A secessionist wants to make a break, almost always from their country. The Civil War was a fight between the Union and a coalition of 11 secessionist states that supported slavery. These states split off from the rest of the country after Abraham Lincoln was elected on an anti-slavery platform.
Vocabulary lists containing secessionist
Unit 1: Telling Details
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Vocabulary from Readings 2, Unit 1
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Lincoln's Spymaster
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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.
Carney, who grew up in Alberta but hasn’t publicly engaged on the secessionist movement, later gave ground, softening some regulations Smith opposed, which she welcomed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 14, 2026
He then formed the STC, grouping secessionist factions.
From Barron's ● Jan. 8, 2026
Such efforts eventually pushed the high representative to take action and annul the secessionist legislation.
From BBC ● Feb. 26, 2025
“I would not dare say that the secessionist movement is dead, but I can say that we are in a period where we don’t know what will come next,” he said.
From Seattle Times ● May 9, 2024
I whipped around, fearing the worst was about to unfold as I faced the secessionist acquaintances I’d made during our stay here.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
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.
