womanist

American  

[woom-uh-nist] / ˈwʊm ə nɪst /

adjective

1. believing in and respecting the abilities and talents of women; acknowledging women's contributions to society.

2. pertaining to a type of feminism that acknowledges the abilities and contributions of Black women.

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noun

1. a person who holds or supports womanist views.

Other Word Forms

• womanism noun

Etymology

Origin of womanist

First recorded in 1900–05; woman ( def. ) + -ist ( def. )

Example Sentences

It became known as The Proverbial Experience, which Briggs describes as an “African-centered, womanist series of spiritual gatherings to nourish the soul.”

From Seattle Times • Apr. 28, 2024

Black women, as you know, continuously find themselves from the feminist, womanist movement and beyond of having to answer the question, well, ain't I a woman and ain't I qualified in so many respects?

From Salon • Feb. 21, 2022

AF: I wanted to get back to this idea of womanist mothering.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 18, 2021

It is significant that an attempt to define this phenomenon came from black womanist theory, a field of scholarship that attempts to link the knotty legacies of race, gender, exploitation and self-actualization.

From The Guardian • Apr. 9, 2019

But most importantly Beyoncé declared that womanist concerns—oh, wait, we actually can say feminist ones—would stand tall in pop in 2014.

From Slate • Dec. 15, 2014