separatist

American  

[sep-er-uh-tist, -uh-rey-] / ˈsɛp ər ə tɪst, -əˌreɪ- /

noun

1. a person who separates, withdraws, or secedes, as from an established church.

2. an advocate of separation, especially ecclesiastical or political separation.

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or designating separatism or separatists.

   separatist forces;

   separatist tendencies.

separatist ¹ British  

/ ˈsɛpərətɪst, ˈsɛprə- /

noun

1. 1. a person who advocates or practises secession from an organization or group

   2. ( as modifier )

      a separatist movement

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Separatist ² British  

/ ˈsɛprə-, ˈsɛpərətɪst /

noun

1. (sometimes not capital) a person who advocates the secession of a province, esp Quebec, from Canada

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Other Word Forms

• Separatism noun
• antiseparatist noun
• separatism noun
• separatistic adjective

Etymology

Origin of separatist

First recorded in 1600–10; separate (adjective) + -ist

Example Sentences

Such policies have manifested differently across China, with harsher tactics applied in areas seen as riven with separatist sentiment.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 12, 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 do so, he’ll have to iron out disagreements over Canada’s Sikh population, which India accuses of stoking separatist sentiment on its soil.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 26, 2026

The pope is likely to appeal for peace and dialogue while in Angola and Cameroon, where long-running separatist struggles continue to kill civilians.

From Barron's • Feb. 25, 2026

The separatist governments of the New York and Pennsylvania colonies offered rangers for the project.

From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

Related Words

• dissident
• protester
• rebel