separatist

noun

sep·​a·​rat·​ist ˈse-p(ə-)rə-tist 

ˈse-pə-ˌrā-

: one that favors separatism: such as

a

capitalized : one of a group of 16th and 17th century English Protestants preferring to separate from rather than to reform the Church of England

b

: an advocate of independence or autonomy for a part of a political unit (such as a nation)

c

: an advocate of racial or cultural separation

separatist adjective

separatistic

ˌse-p(ə-)rə-ˈti-stik 

adjective

Examples of separatist in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

It was once even attacked with grenades by Muslim separatists in the Philippines in a 1991 terrorist incident that left two evangelists dead. —Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2025

That conflict had recently escalated, with pro-Russian separatists seizing key towns in the Donetsk and Luhansk after Russia illegally annexed the peninsula of Crimea in February 2014. —Anna Batta, The Conversation, 20 Aug. 2025

Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 after annexing Crimea from Kyiv in 2014 and backing separatists in the east. —Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Aug. 2025

Russia seized Ukraine's Crimean peninsula in 2014 and backed separatists in eastern Ukraine, a move that was widely condemned by the international community. —Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 18 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1608, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing separatist

• anti-separatist

Kids Definition

separatist

noun

sep·​a·​rat·​ist ˈsep(-ə)-rət-əst 

: a person who favors separation (as from a church or party)

separatism

-rə-ˌtiz-əm

noun

separatist adjective