survivalist

[ser-vahy-vuh-list]

noun

1. a person who makes preparations to survive a widespread catastrophe, as an atomic war or anarchy, especially by storing food and weapons in a safe place.

survivalist

/ səˈvaɪvəlɪst /

noun

1. 1. a person who believes in ensuring his personal survival of a catastrophic event by arming himself and often by living in the wild

   2. ( as modifier )

      survivalist weapons

Other Word Forms

• survivalism noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of survivalist¹

First recorded in 1965–70; survival + -ist

Example Sentences

“Eden” is probably closer to an expensive reality show about mismatched survivalists.

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Without their love story, we might never have seen Bill as anything other than a belligerent survivalist and eternal curmudgeon Joel knew him to be.

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The present-day Pacific Northwest has a prominent survivalist streak along with a healthy number of, shall we say, weird faith clubs.

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Burke was “a self proclaimed ‘Rock & Roll survivalist,’” the band said, who was undaunted when Blondie split up in 1982 years after the hits “Call Me,” “The Tide Is High” and “Rapture.”

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“Imagine, my young survivalists, the seas rising up the slopes of this ancient volcano. Tsunamis wiping away all that you have ever known!”

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