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

On the other, are feminists who hold strong in their belief that feminism is essential. —Marni Rose McFall, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 June 2025

Well, then the little feminist in me felt this is quite similar to the position of a woman in the Balkans. —Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 7 Aug. 2025

Adjective

The closure of the group page came after several formal complaints to Facebook’s owner Meta, instigated by the feminist activist and author Carolina Capria. —Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2025

At work instead is a kind of half-baked feminist phrenology. —Graham Hillard, The Washington Examiner, 22 Aug. 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