feminist

1 of 2

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

To be clear: Naomi Klein is a climate journalist, and Naomi Wolf used to be a feminist but is now a Covid truther. —Adrienne So, Wired News, 1 May 2025

This spring, an exhibit opened at the National Gallery of Art featuring the work of Elizabeth Catlett—a Black artist, activist, and feminist who explored racial and class injustice through striking prints and dynamic sculptures. —Erik Zou, JSTOR Daily, 25 Apr. 2025

Adjective

The longtime feminist writer and former Teen Vogue editor had just moderated a panel at a media conference. —Alex Backus, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 May 2025

In death, however, the 19th-century Habsburg monarch has joined a long list of historical women reimagined in 21st-century popular culture as feminist heroines—much to some historians’ chagrin. —Elizabeth Djinis, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Apr. 2025

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