activist

1 of 2

noun

ac·​tiv·​ist ˈak-ti-vist 

plural activists

: one who advocates or practices activism : a person who uses or supports strong actions (such as public protests) in support of or opposition to one side of a controversial issue

Antiwar activists were protesting in the streets.

an environmental activist

political activists

The conventional wisdom is that young people no longer care enough to stand up for what is important; that the days of activism and protest have faded into the past, the bailiwick of aging hippies and activists.

—The Easton (Massachusetts) Journal

activistic

ˌak-ti-ˈvi-stik 

adjective

What is news to me … is how much alike were the fears and concerns of both activistic Democrats and skeptical Republicans …

—Nathan Glazer

activist

2 of 2

adjective

: advocating or practicing activism : using or supporting strong actions in support of or opposition to one side of a controversial issue

For the activist groups that will carry the nomination fight to the public, the name of the game is hit early and often.

—Richard Lacayo

Pressing demands that are both global and granular, the activist investor has turned himself into one of the food sector's most influential players, affecting how millions of people eat each day.

—Julie Jargon

They plan to become activist shareholders who will protest global-warming resolutions and anything else that undermines corporate profitability.

—John J. Miller

Examples of activist in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Human rights activists say the blackout was also a strategic move to conceal the realities on the ground and suppress public reaction. —Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 21 Jan. 2026

Heather Heyer, a 32-year-old activist who was marching with counter-protesters, was killed when a man plowed his car into the crowd. —Sara Dorn, Forbes.com, 20 Jan. 2026

Adjective

After absorbing elevated medical utilization and activist uncertainty the past two years, CVS now appears to have put a floor under earnings. —Tony Zhang, CNBC, 21 Jan. 2026

While there are allegations that surveillance cameras operated by such retail partners as Flock Safety are being use to assist ICE raids as some activist investors charge, retailers should assert this electronic collaborating is not true—consistent with denials by Flock Safety. —Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 21 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1920, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1917, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

activist

noun

ac·​tiv·​ist

ˈak-ti-vəst

: a person who believes in forceful action (as a mass demonstration) for political purposes

activism

-ˌviz-əm

noun