survivalist

American  

[ser-vahy-vuh-list] / sərˈvaɪ və lɪst /

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.

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survivalist British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

• survivalism noun

Etymology

Origin of survivalist

First recorded in 1965–70; survival + -ist

Example Sentences

Crowds of weekend warriors limit their ability to climb in isolation, and the region is rapidly filling up with “mansions, survivalist compounds, movie-star bungalows” and more.

From Los Angeles Times

The survivalist film will be released by the streaming service on 24 April.

From BBC

You could panic and tell everyone in this apartment complex, which could start an organized survivalist effort, which could result in the riots you just told me about.

From Literature

Such debates are the heart of the Western’s tableau, stories that ultimately come down to survivalist clashes of will and character, determining who gets to shape a culture’s story.

From Salon

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

From Los Angeles Times