fem·i·nist
ˈfe-mə-nist 
plural feminists
: a person who supports or engages in feminism
Similarly, Saint Thomas's resident nun, Sister Maureen (Ann Dowd), is no girlish cutie: She's an ardent, in-your-face feminist.—
Terrence Rafferty
Terrence RaffertyHe [Stendhal] was a feminist and … he held that to deprive women of education 'deprives society of half its potential for intellectual achievement'.—V. S. Pritchett
V. S. Pritchett
: of, relating to, supporting, or compatible with feminism
feminist theory
the feminist movement
The act of speaking is a way women come to power, telling our stories, sharing history, engaging in feminist discussion.—bell hooks
bell hooks[Patricia] Ireland, past president of the National Organization for Women, is perhaps the best-known former Pan Am flight attendant of the '60s; seven years working for the airline helped inspire her feminist activism, which included campaigning for the Equal Rights Amendment.—Sarah Rose
Sarah RoseExamples of feminist in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the WebSe Eun Gong, NPR, 10 Apr. 2024
Why would gender-critical feminists join such a movement?
—Katha Pollitt, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2024
Photos: Sneak behind the scenes at A Cause for Tea in Monroe for a sip and a snack
Feminist history of tea houses
Teahouses have roots in feminist and temperance history.
—Kristen Kornbluth, Charlotte Observer, 22 Mar. 2024
In a new book, Judith Butler tries to indict gender-critical feminists.
—Katha Pollitt, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2024
What if a feminist’s vaginal allusions were ditched for neon signage?
—Martha Schwendener, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2024
Then, other organizers, Black feminists who have shown up for me.
—Lisa Deaderick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Mar. 2024
The Duchess of Sussex was shouted out as a feminist, champion of human rights and gender equity and co-founder of The Archewell Foundation, among other accolades.
—Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 4 Mar. 2024
The film follows Milo, a feminist dealing with a family of strict constrictive rules, and Khalili, a filmmaker who found his calling in documenting the revolution.
—Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 17 Mar. 2024
Ellen Wexler, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Mar. 2024
The final exhibition before the pandemic was a retrospective of the late Chicana feminist artist Yolanda López, who was raised in San Diego’s Barrio Logan neighborhood.
—Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2024
The line quickly became a feminist slogan and is used more broadly today.
—Hadley Heath Manning, National Review, 31 Mar. 2024
Most of all, there was an outpouring of bewildered fury from women who believed her promotion of marital submission undid much of the feminist work that had been accomplished during the past half century.
—Sophie Elmhirst, The New Yorker, 29 Mar. 2024
Akerman chose Fortnight to premiere her 1975 masterpiece, Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce – 1080 Brussels, a feminist drama that topped the most recent Sight and Sound poll by filmmakers and critics as the greatest movie of all time.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Mar. 2024
Her apartment has hosted countless young activists and world dignitaries over the years, besides serving as an instrumental gathering space for some of the earliest meetings of Ms. magazine, the feminist publication Steinem cofounded in 1971.
—Stephanie Sporn, Vogue, 27 Mar. 2024
In eight addictive episodes, the on-point filmmaker succeeds where others have failed, injecting just the right doses of intrigue and humor into a quietly subversive feminist story.
—Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 27 Mar. 2024
Along the way, Maxine also connects with Linda Shaw (Laura Dern), a feminist activist and owner of a bookstore, Our Bodies, Ourselves.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 18 Mar. 2024
Noun
Many of the young feminists are the first generation of South Korean women who are more educated than their male peers, as women's college enrollment rates started to exceed men's in 2008.
—Se Eun Gong, NPR, 10 Apr. 2024
Why would gender-critical feminists join such a movement?
—Katha Pollitt, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2024
Photos: Sneak behind the scenes at A Cause for Tea in Monroe for a sip and a snack
Feminist history of tea houses
Teahouses have roots in feminist and temperance history.
—Kristen Kornbluth, Charlotte Observer, 22 Mar. 2024
In a new book, Judith Butler tries to indict gender-critical feminists.
—Katha Pollitt, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2024
What if a feminist’s vaginal allusions were ditched for neon signage?
—Martha Schwendener, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2024
Then, other organizers, Black feminists who have shown up for me.
—Lisa Deaderick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Mar. 2024
The Duchess of Sussex was shouted out as a feminist, champion of human rights and gender equity and co-founder of The Archewell Foundation, among other accolades.
—Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 4 Mar. 2024
The film follows Milo, a feminist dealing with a family of strict constrictive rules, and Khalili, a filmmaker who found his calling in documenting the revolution.
—Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 17 Mar. 2024
Adjective
Some feminist leaders gave Chisholm only equivocal support, offering a more serious endorsement to another candidate.
—Ellen Wexler, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Mar. 2024
The final exhibition before the pandemic was a retrospective of the late Chicana feminist artist Yolanda López, who was raised in San Diego’s Barrio Logan neighborhood.
—Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2024
The line quickly became a feminist slogan and is used more broadly today.
—Hadley Heath Manning, National Review, 31 Mar. 2024
Most of all, there was an outpouring of bewildered fury from women who believed her promotion of marital submission undid much of the feminist work that had been accomplished during the past half century.
—Sophie Elmhirst, The New Yorker, 29 Mar. 2024
Akerman chose Fortnight to premiere her 1975 masterpiece, Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce – 1080 Brussels, a feminist drama that topped the most recent Sight and Sound poll by filmmakers and critics as the greatest movie of all time.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Mar. 2024
Her apartment has hosted countless young activists and world dignitaries over the years, besides serving as an instrumental gathering space for some of the earliest meetings of Ms. magazine, the feminist publication Steinem cofounded in 1971.
—Stephanie Sporn, Vogue, 27 Mar. 2024
In eight addictive episodes, the on-point filmmaker succeeds where others have failed, injecting just the right doses of intrigue and humor into a quietly subversive feminist story.
—Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 27 Mar. 2024
Along the way, Maxine also connects with Linda Shaw (Laura Dern), a feminist activist and owner of a bookstore, Our Bodies, Ourselves.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 18 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'feminist.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near feminist
Cite this Entry
“Feminist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/feminist. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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