universalist

American  

[yoo-nuh-vur-suh-list] / ˌju nəˈvɜr sə lɪst /

noun

1. a person characterized by universalism, as in knowledge, interests, or activities.

2. (initial capital letter) a member of a liberal religious denomination advocating Universalism.

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adjective

1. (initial capital letter) Also Universalistic. of or relating to Universalism or Universalists.

universalist British  

/ ˌjuːnɪˈvɜːsəlɪst /

noun

1. a person who has a wide range of interests, knowledge, activities, etc

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adjective

1. characterized by universality

Other Word Forms

• nonuniversalist
  noun
• universalistic
  adjective

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Etymology

Origin of universalist

First recorded in 1620–30; universal + -ist

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

universalist

That’s the universalist worldview that built public education in the first place, and it’s the one we must recover to lead in the future.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2025

Lewis told Salon that, as a self-described universalist who believes that all human beings will be restored to a right relationship with God, Christian exhortation need not come at the expense of pluralism.

From Salon ● Oct. 18, 2024

Hall was a universalist and encouraged visitors to use the campus’ resources to aid them on the path of their own spiritual development — whatever that looked like.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2023

Advocates who fight discrimination welcomed the new data published this month that gives a rare insight because France follows a universalist vision that doesn’t differentiate citizens by ethnic groups.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 15, 2022

They were a kind of furtive universalist; they had discovered the whole cosmos, and they kept the whole cosmos a secret.

From Robert Browning by G. K. (Gilbert Keith) Chesterton

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