capitalist

1 of 2

noun

cap·​i·​tal·​ist ˈka-pə-tə-list 

ˈkap-tə-

1

: a person who has capital especially invested in business

industrial capitalists

broadly : a person of wealth : plutocrat

Charitable organizations often seek help from capitalists.

2

: a person who favors capitalism

capitalist

2 of 2

adjective

variants or capitalistic

ˌka-pə-tə-ˈli-stik 

ˌkap-tə-

1

: owning capital

the capitalist class

2

a

: practicing or advocating capitalism

capitalist nations

b

: marked by capitalism

capitalist period of history

capitalistically

ˌka-pə-tə-ˈli-sti-k(ə-)lē 

ˌkap-tə-

adverb

Synonyms of capitalist

Noun

• have
• plutocrat
• money
• magnate
• moneybags
• billionaire

Examples of capitalist in a Sentence

Noun

capitalists who lost everything in the '29 Crash

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Already, the billionaire venture capitalist Joe Lacob’s investment of $50 million to buy the rights to a Bay Area expansion team has ballooned to a $1 billion valuation, a record for a women’s sports team. — Lauren Segal, New York Times, 5 Nov. 2026

The 4th District race pits Thompson, a veteran lawmaker who has represented much of the region for nearly three decades, against Jones, a former venture capitalist and philanthropist. — Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 4 Nov. 2026

Adjective

Friday’s nationwide action was spearheaded by the anti-capitalist trade union Unione Sindacale di Base (USB), and included workers across the public and private sectors. — Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2026

Humanity watched in awe as the capitalist and communist worlds competed to see which could better marshal its resources and science to venture into space. — Ethan Teekah All, Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

probably borrowed from French capitaliste "person possessing capital," from capital capital entry 2 + -iste -ist entry 1

Adjective

capital entry 2 + -ist entry 2, after capitalist entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1774, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1845, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing capitalist

• pre-capitalist

Kids Definition

capitalist

noun

cap·​i·​tal·​ist

ˈkap-ət-ᵊl-əst, 

ˈkap-tᵊl-

1

: a person who has capital and especially business capital

2

: a person who supports capitalism