feminist

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noun

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

He [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

feminist

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adjective

: 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

[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

Examples of feminist in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The character was inspired by Lear’s then-wife, Frances, herself a feminist. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 15 July 2026

The exhibit showcases other Mexican masters, including Kahlo’s husband, Diego Rivera, but the big draw has been Kahlo, whose oeuvre has become a touchstone of feminist and Latin American iconography. — Los Angeles Times, 14 July 2026

Adjective

For many British viewers, this will be their first encounter with Mendieta, an artist who has had a higher profile in the United States, and who has always been a feminist icon—one who has never been well known across the Atlantic. — Eliza Goodpasture, ARTnews.com, 15 July 2026

Iranian author Shahrnush Parsipur, who cloaked uncompromising feminist ideals in stories and novels that glowed with magical realism, died on July 3 in San Francisco following a stroke. — News Desk, Artforum, 13 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1887, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1852, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing feminist

• anti-feminist
• pre-feminist
• trans-exclusionary radical feminist