a person who separates, withdraws, or secedes, as from an established church.
an advocate of separation, especially ecclesiastical or political separation.
A separatist is someone who believes certain groups of people should live independently from the larger group. Often religious separatists form new denominations after they break off from a church. Separatists are typically members of a minority group that wishes to protect itself or its identity from the majority group. There are political separatist movements all around the world, including Catalan separatists in Spain, who believe that Catalonia should be an independent nation, and French-Canadian separatists in Quebec.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The West African country remains in a security crisis more than a week after an alliance of jihadists and separatist rebels launched their nationwide raids.
From BBC • May 4, 2026
Forces at Mali's Tessalit military base, a "super-camp" near the Algerian border, surrendered and were scattering southward, an official from the Tuareg-dominated FLA separatist group told AFP.
From Barron's • May 1, 2026
A meetinghouse stood at the center of every village created by the Shakers, the separatist and celibate Christian religious sect founded in the 18th century that was devoted to communal living and simple, functional design.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026
King Charles has "expressed his concern" over the Alberta separatist movement in a meeting with Indigenous leaders at Buckingham Palace, according to a delegation of First Nations chiefs that travelled to London.
From BBC • Mar. 12, 2026
To win the Cherokees to their side, British authorities provided weaponry and money, while separatist representatives threatened the towns with complete destruction if they did not remain neutral.
From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
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.
