activism

play

noun ac·tiv·ism \ˈak-ti-ˌvi-zəm\

Definition of activism

: a doctrine or practice that emphasizes direct vigorous action especially in support of or opposition to one side of a controversial issue political activism environmental activism

activist

play \-vist\ noun or adjective

activistic

play \ˌak-ti-ˈvis-tik\ adjective

Recent Examples of activism from the Web

Mrs. Bonnet's activism was inspired by the purchase of various apartment houses in the Homewood neighborhood by the Johns Hopkins University, which displaced elderly residents.

— frederick n. rasmussen, baltimoresun.com, "Esther C. Bonnet, longtime volunteer who focused on schoolchildren and the elderly", 3 June 2017
He was disbarred in 2009, but continued his activism and helped publicize the plight of lawyers arrested in the sweeping crackdown that began in July 2015.

— louise watt, The Seattle Times, "Family says Chinese human rights activist formally arrested", 2 June 2017
Usually these will be individuals or organizations working in social justice advocacy or activism, or in community-building services such as health promotion, educational equity, re-entry work, etc.

— samuel k. roberts, The Root, "Ron Crowder and Street Works: Doing Black Harm Reduction and Public Health During a ‘White’ Drug Crisis", 2 June 2017
My experiences with the LGBTQ Pride Festivals are so much fun, but are also a source of expanded awareness and activism in matters of the heart, such as civil and human rights.

— thea austin, Billboard, "Thea Austin: Love Letter to the LGBTQ Community", 1 June 2017
This latest effort by Democrats is a move to bolster activism and generate new voters and candidates alike.

— anna m. tinsley, star-telegram, "House Minority Leader Pelosi calls sanctuary cities law ‘an act of cowardice’", 31 May 2017
Today, the book is a fascinating who’s who and a document of artistic activism.

— anne trubek, Smithsonian, "Edith Wharton Recruited the World’s Greatest Artists to Raise Money for WWI Refugees", 30 May 2017
As U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War escalate, the group became more aggressive in its activism, leading student takeovers of buildings on campuses around the country.

— valerie strauss, Washington Post, "How today’s college students infantilize themselves", 27 May 2017
Such demonstrations of player activism in the last few years have e-sports management not sweating through the typical corporate nightmares about unionization, but instead excitedly dreaming about a future with players’ associations.

— paresh dave, latimes.com, "In e-sports, it's the bosses who are rallying for a union", 26 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'activism'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.