anarchist

noun

an·​ar·​chist ˈa-nər-kist 

-ˌnär-

1

: a person who rebels against any authority, established order, or ruling power

2

: a person who believes in, advocates, or promotes anarchism or anarchy

especially : one who uses violent means to overthrow the established order

anarchist adjective

or anarchistic

ˌa-nər-ˈki-stik 

-(ˌ)när-

Examples of anarchist in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

All were marked for assassination by an anarchist cook named Jean Crones, who spiked the soup stock with arsenic. —Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 10 Feb. 2026

Investigators are not ruling out sabotage carried out by anarchists, citing similarities to the sabotage that targeted the French network during the 2024 Paris Olympics, when France’s high-speed train lines were targeted by multiple malicious acts including arson. —Antonia Mortensen, CNN Money, 7 Feb. 2026

Choi is otherwise best known for her portrayal of Japanese anarchist Fumiko Kaneko in the historical drama Anarchist from Colony, which won her a slew of awards, including Best New Actress and Best Actress at the Grand Bell Awards, Korea’s equivalent to the Academy Award. —Matt Grobar, Deadline, 3 Feb. 2026

The loudest calls for taxing the ultra-rich amid this year’s Davos summit aren’t coming from hooded anarchists or revolutionary socialists, but from the one-percenters themselves. —Joe Wilkins Published Jan 22, Futurism, 22 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

anarchy + -ist entry 1; as a proponent of a political theory after French anarchiste.

Note: The use of the French words anarchisme and anarchiste in reference to political theory are associated with Pierre-Joseph proudhon. In his first major work, Qu'est-ce que la propriété? Recherche sur le principe du droit et du gouvernement (Paris, 1840), Proudhon used anarchiste (p.229), but not anarchisme.

First Known Use

1646, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

anarchist

noun

an·​ar·​chist ˈan-ər-kəst 

-ˌär-

: a person who believes in anarchism or anarchy or practices anarchy

anarchist adjective

or anarchistic

ˌan-ər-ˈkis-tik 

-(ˌ)är-