abolitionist

1 of 2

noun

ab·​o·​li·​tion·​ist ˌa-bə-ˈli-shə-nist How to pronounce abolitionist (audio)
plural abolitionists
: a person who wants to stop or abolish slavery : an advocate of abolition
Before going to England I had had no proper conception of the deep interest displayed by the abolitionists of England in the cause of freedom, nor did I realize the amount of substantial help given by them.Booker T. Washington
On the spectrum of abhorrent business practices, buying and selling humans, especially children, remains the gold standard. Yet modern abolitionists say it happens all the time.Belinda Luscombe
While with him at an antislavery convention in London, which shocked her by barring women as delegates, she found her ideal model in another delegate, Lucretia Mott, the noted Quaker abolitionist and feminist.Milton Rugoff

abolitionist

2 of 2

adjective

: of, relating to, or supporting abolitionists or abolitionism : advocating the end of slavery
abolitionist writings
… the virulence of public reaction to antislavery activity in the East appears to have been a reason for the deployment of abolitionist resources and energies into the Middle West.Marilynne Robinson
… he was genuinely concerned with the poor, and an aggressive supporter of abolitionist causes and women's education.Jesse Sheidlower

Examples of abolitionist in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Lambert took part in the Chatham Convention, where abolitionist John Brown and others met to set up an independent republic to free enslaved people, which eventually led to the Harpers Ferry Raid, an armed assault against a federal armory. Nushrat Rahman, Detroit Free Press, 22 Mar. 2024 Anti-prison abolitionists believe that the justice system is inherently racist and should be uprooted. Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 27 Feb. 2024 One group, the Liberated Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum Consortium, offers free model lessons to schools, on topics such as the abolitionist John Brown’s raid, mass incarceration and gender expression, which are all part of the state’s framework. Dana Goldstein, New York Times, 16 Feb. 2024 The first European to record seeing Mount Mulanje, in 1859, was Scotsman David Livingstone, the proselytizing explorer and devout abolitionist. Mark Jenkins, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Apr. 2024 Listen to the voices of Olaudah Equiano and David Walker, two early Black abolitionists. Luann Gibbs, The Enquirer, 30 Jan. 2024 Those two great Americans were Frederick Douglass, a famed abolitionist who escaped from slavery and celebrated his birthday Feb. 14, and President Abraham Lincoln, who formally abolished slavery and was born on Feb. 12. Amaris Encinas, USA TODAY, 1 Feb. 2024 Two centuries after her birth, American abolitionist and activist Harriet Tubman will be honored with an 11-foot bronze statue outside the Freedom Center for a limited time. Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 1 Mar. 2024 While those of us in Los Angeles have been busy electing an abolitionist to the City Council, San Francisco started by ousting its reform-minded district attorney and has moved on to ramping up the criminalization of homelessness and drug addiction. Erika D. Smith, Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2024
Adjective
It was all meant to honor the spirit of the homeless camps, which, after George Floyd’s murder in Minneapolis, had adopted an abolitionist outlook. Wes Enzinna, Harper’s Magazine , 5 Jan. 2023 David Livingstone was an abolitionist missionary famed for his explorations through Africa. Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2022 The North, where abolitionist sentiment was substantial, feared that if the territories allowed slavery, the South would soon dominate all three branches of the federal government and perpetuate slavery. Steve Grant, Hartford Courant, 6 Aug. 2022 Lining the streets are storefronts that have retained the charm with which they were built nearly a century before, when the city was a hub for the Underground Railroad and an important location for the abolitionist movement. Hannah Drown, cleveland, 28 Dec. 2022 Dettlaff's abolitionist stance advocated in favor of dismantling America's for-profit prisons in favor of alternative forms of rehabilitation and socialization for those convicted of crimes. Dan Carson, Chron, 15 Dec. 2022 But Child, inspired by William Lloyd Garrison, had seen the abolitionist light and was ready to sacrifice her reputation to spread it. Lydia Moland, WSJ, 10 Nov. 2022 His image represented the horrors of slavery, and its dissemination helped further the abolitionist movement—yet his own, human story was not definitively told. Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 9 Dec. 2022 Built by Milton’s founder, Joseph Goodrich, the former inn and general store is a unique piece of history dating back to the abolitionist movement. Benjamin Wells, Journal Sentinel, 29 Sep. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'abolitionist.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1791, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1833, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of abolitionist was in 1791

Dictionary Entries Near abolitionist

Cite this Entry

“Abolitionist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/abolitionist. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

abolitionist

noun
ab·​o·​li·​tion·​ist
ab-ə-ˈlish-(ə-)nəst
: a person who is in favor of abolishing especially slavery
abolitionism
-ˈlish-ə-ˌniz-əm
noun

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