feminist

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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

Films by women directors have historically won few opportunities at the awards, making the haul a landmark for feminist filmmaking in the country. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026

A lot of Tumblr, a lot of Wikipedia, a lot of following a bunch of cool feminists online, and also being curious and empathetic at the end of the day. — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 12 Oct. 2026

Adjective

As a result, #NiUnaMenos, a feminist group that originated in Argentina and whose aim is to combat complacency in societies that experience femicides, has taken root in Mexico. — Daniel Peña, Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2026

The series tries to link all these women together into a tapestry of feminist frustration by devoting a few minutes at the beginning of each episode to an unnamed narrator telling different tales of misunderstood women throughout history. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2026

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