manifesto

1 of 2

noun

man·​i·​fes·​to ˌma-nə-ˈfe-(ˌ)stō 

plural manifestos or manifestoes

: a written statement declaring publicly the intentions, motives, or views of its issuer

The group's manifesto focused on helping the poor and stopping violence.

manifesto

2 of 2

verb

manifestoed; manifestoing; manifestos

intransitive verb

: to issue a manifesto

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Manifesto Has Latin Roots

Manifesto is related to manifest, which occurs in English as a noun, verb, and adjective. Of these, the adjective, which means "readily perceived by the senses," is oldest, dating to the 14th century. Both manifest and manifesto derive ultimately from the Latin noun manus ("hand") and -festus, a combining form of uncertain meaning that is also found in the Latin adjective infestus ("hostile"), an ancestor of the English infest. Something that is manifest is easy to perceive or recognize, and a manifesto is a statement in which someone makes his or her intentions or views easy for people to ascertain. Perhaps the most well-known statement of this sort is the Communist Manifesto, written in 1848 by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels to outline the platform of the Communist League.

Examples of manifesto in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

In 1995, The Washington Post and The New York Times published Ted’s notorious anti-technology manifesto. — Kelly Allen, PEOPLE, 26 Sep. 2026

Reading the manifesto after it was published in the press, Ted’s brother and sister-in-law recognized his writing style. — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2026

While Miller pores over Kaczynski’s famous manifesto, correctly concluding that its linguistic quirks will lead the authorities to him, the upshot of Murray’s study four decades before is that the young Kaczynski shows signs of schizophrenia. — Guy Lodge, Variety, 25 Sep. 2026

Just as Haghighi’s documentary offers a manifesto of filming archival images, Hong’s fiction feature is a double manifesto, of the voice-over and, exactly as the title suggests, of the basic art of seeing. — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 25 Sep. 2026

Over time that label has grown into a kind of manifesto for diversity and inclusion and women’s empowerment, touting individuality. — Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 21 Sep. 2026

While Amodei's manifesto was self-serving , these weekend headlines are nevertheless reverberating in Monday's market. — Jim Cramer, CNBC, 14 Sep. 2026

The party’s manifesto also calls for segregated classes, with refugee children taught separately by other refugees, and teaching designed to convey the message that staying in Germany is temporary. — Sophie Tanno, CNN Money, 7 Sep. 2026

Andy Burnham and his chancellor are constrained by costly rising debt – interest on debt costs more than the defence, Home Office and justice departments combined – rigid fiscal rules, and Labour’s manifesto pledge not to raise the three main taxes. — The Week Uk, TheWeek, 7 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Italian, denunciation, manifest, from manifestare to manifest, from Latin, from manifestus

First Known Use

Noun

1620, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1748, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for manifesto

• adagio
• altiplano
• arapaho
• arapahoe
• fortissimo
• minangkabau
• oregano
• ostinato
• pistachio
• politico
• portfolio
• presidio

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Kids Definition

manifesto

noun

man·​i·​fes·​to

ˌman-ə-ˈfes-tō

plural manifestos or manifestoes

: a public declaration of intentions or views