universalist

American  

[yoo-nuh-vur-suh-list] / ˌyu 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

Etymology

Origin of universalist

First recorded in 1620–30; universal + -ist

Example Sentences

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

The creeping alien force constantly wrapping its tentacles around the dialogue in “Wrong Way” is the inoffensively postconservative, universalist rhetoric of contemporary business development.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 12, 2023

“Given the many religious tensions across the world, the real challenges of interfaith dialogue, and the self-selected crowd at Toronto, the universalist rhetoric could sound a little hollow. “

From Seattle Times • Aug. 14, 2023

Recalling the GNU universalist approach, Prime Time Freeware's Morin points to a critical, albeit mundane, software package called hello.

From Free as in Freedom: Richard Stallman's Crusade for Free Software by Williams, Sam