ac·tiv·ist
ˈak-ti-vist 
plural activists
: one who advocates or practices activism : a person who uses or supports strong actions (such as public protests) in support of or opposition to one side of a controversial issue
Antiwar activists were protesting in the streets.
an environmental activist
political activists
The conventional wisdom is that young people no longer care enough to stand up for what is important; that the days of activism and protest have faded into the past, the bailiwick of aging hippies and activists.—
The Easton (Massachusetts) Journal
The Easton (Massachusetts) Journal
activistic
adjective
What is news to me … is how much alike were the fears and concerns of both activistic Democrats and skeptical Republicans …
—Nathan Glazer
Nathan Glazer
: advocating or practicing activism : using or supporting strong actions in support of or opposition to one side of a controversial issue
For the activist groups that will carry the nomination fight to the public, the name of the game is hit early and often.—Richard Lacayo
Richard LacayoPressing demands that are both global and granular, the activist investor has turned himself into one of the food sector's most influential players, affecting how millions of people eat each day.—Julie Jargon
Julie JargonThey plan to become activist shareholders who will protest global-warming resolutions and anything else that undermines corporate profitability.—John J. Miller
John J. MillerExamples of activist in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the WebBruce Fuller, Orange County Register, 12 May 2024
We as students have fortunately a lot to draw from -- previous movements and previous generations, organizers and student activists.
—Kiara Alfonseca, ABC News, 11 May 2024
Other rights activists, parliamentarians, and religious and civil society leaders joined the ultimately successful battle.
—Rabson Kondowe, New York Times, 10 May 2024
In the 1970s and 1980s, student activists across the country pushed their universities to divest from firms that supported or profited from South African apartheid.
—Kelly Meyerhofer, Journal Sentinel, 10 May 2024
Shrewsbury first got involved in West Virginia politics on the 2020 Senate campaign of Paula Jean Swearengin, a progressive activist from a coal-mining family, who ran against West Virginia’s Republican senator, Shelley Moore Capito.
—Dan Kaufman, The New Yorker, 9 May 2024
Fast forward 55 years, universities like CUNY and Columbia now celebrate those activists of old, featuring this activism on their websites and praising them in anniversary celebrations of Africana and Puerto Rican Studies.
—TIME, 9 May 2024
On Thursday, local police reported that over 10,000 people, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, marched through the city in a pro-Palestine protest that directly called on Eurovision organizers to drop Israel from the contest.
—Abid Rahman, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 May 2024
Of course, the Democratic activist pretending to be a judge is chomping at the bit to lock up Donald Trump, with or without a guilty verdict.
—Fox News, 8 May 2024
Detroit Free Press, 18 Apr. 2024
If anything, the board doubled down on backing Mr. Musk, Tesla’s chief executive, risking riling up activist investors and more litigation.
—Jack Ewing, New York Times, 17 Apr. 2024
In 2014, activist investors— including Carl Icahn and Nelson Peltz — pushed Family Dollar to sell itself.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 11 Apr. 2024
Former Attorney General Curtis Hill, catering to an activist base, and Indianapolis mom Jamie Reitenour, catering to evangelicals, are struggling in polling and fundraising.
—The Indianapolis Star, 11 Apr. 2024
Shareholder meetings: Dimon had strong words for activist investors who use shareholder meetings to engage in a campaign to influence corporate actions.
—Nicole Goodkind, CNN, 9 Apr. 2024
And investors should take heed from my colleague Geoff Colvin, who notes that following an activist investor into a stock is a tricky strategy.
—Diane Brady, Fortune, 8 Apr. 2024
Bob Iger can go back to work overhauling Disney now that activist investor Nelson Peltz has been dispatched, and the veteran CEO for one believes that’s a good thing for shareholders.
—Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 5 Apr. 2024
His comments came a day after Disney prevailed in a proxy fight over activist investors including Trian Partners’ Nelson Peltz, who lost his bid to get a pair of seats on the company’s board.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 5 Apr. 2024
Noun
The attack on student activists widens Biden’s generational gap, his limited capacity to hear and resonate with the moral aspirations of America’s youth.
—Bruce Fuller, Orange County Register, 12 May 2024
We as students have fortunately a lot to draw from -- previous movements and previous generations, organizers and student activists.
—Kiara Alfonseca, ABC News, 11 May 2024
Other rights activists, parliamentarians, and religious and civil society leaders joined the ultimately successful battle.
—Rabson Kondowe, New York Times, 10 May 2024
In the 1970s and 1980s, student activists across the country pushed their universities to divest from firms that supported or profited from South African apartheid.
—Kelly Meyerhofer, Journal Sentinel, 10 May 2024
Shrewsbury first got involved in West Virginia politics on the 2020 Senate campaign of Paula Jean Swearengin, a progressive activist from a coal-mining family, who ran against West Virginia’s Republican senator, Shelley Moore Capito.
—Dan Kaufman, The New Yorker, 9 May 2024
Fast forward 55 years, universities like CUNY and Columbia now celebrate those activists of old, featuring this activism on their websites and praising them in anniversary celebrations of Africana and Puerto Rican Studies.
—TIME, 9 May 2024
On Thursday, local police reported that over 10,000 people, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, marched through the city in a pro-Palestine protest that directly called on Eurovision organizers to drop Israel from the contest.
—Abid Rahman, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 May 2024
Of course, the Democratic activist pretending to be a judge is chomping at the bit to lock up Donald Trump, with or without a guilty verdict.
—Fox News, 8 May 2024
Adjective
Six activist groups received federal grants to research ways to prevent crime and curb gun violence.
—Detroit Free Press, 18 Apr. 2024
If anything, the board doubled down on backing Mr. Musk, Tesla’s chief executive, risking riling up activist investors and more litigation.
—Jack Ewing, New York Times, 17 Apr. 2024
In 2014, activist investors— including Carl Icahn and Nelson Peltz — pushed Family Dollar to sell itself.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 11 Apr. 2024
Former Attorney General Curtis Hill, catering to an activist base, and Indianapolis mom Jamie Reitenour, catering to evangelicals, are struggling in polling and fundraising.
—The Indianapolis Star, 11 Apr. 2024
Shareholder meetings: Dimon had strong words for activist investors who use shareholder meetings to engage in a campaign to influence corporate actions.
—Nicole Goodkind, CNN, 9 Apr. 2024
And investors should take heed from my colleague Geoff Colvin, who notes that following an activist investor into a stock is a tricky strategy.
—Diane Brady, Fortune, 8 Apr. 2024
Bob Iger can go back to work overhauling Disney now that activist investor Nelson Peltz has been dispatched, and the veteran CEO for one believes that’s a good thing for shareholders.
—Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 5 Apr. 2024
His comments came a day after Disney prevailed in a proxy fight over activist investors including Trian Partners’ Nelson Peltz, who lost his bid to get a pair of seats on the company’s board.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 5 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'activist.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Activist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/activist. Accessed 15 May. 2024.
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