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
The Easton (Massachusetts) Journal
activistic
adjective
What is news to me … is how much alike were the fears and concerns of both activistic Democrats and skeptical Republicans …
—Nathan Glazer
Nathan Glazer
: 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
Richard LacayoPressing 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
Julie JargonThey plan to become activist shareholders who will protest global-warming resolutions and anything else that undermines corporate profitability.—John J. Miller
John J. MillerExamples of activist in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the WebAndre Byik, USA TODAY, 30 Apr. 2024
Protesters along the perimeter of the zone allegedly blocked Jewish students from walking through, as anti-Israel activists used force, harassment and threats of violence.
—Greg Wehner, Fox News, 30 Apr. 2024
Advertisement One of the activists arrested, assistant professor Rouhollah Aghasaleh, vowed to reject any bond and embark on a hunger strike until he and all his students were released.
—Jessica Garrison, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2024
Mitsui Fudosan released a plan in April to sell assets and increase buybacks, two months after news of Elliott’s stake in the firm, while Dai Nippon Printing announced its largest-ever stock buyback in March 2023 following pressure from the activist fund.
—Winnie Hsu, Fortune Asia, 29 Apr. 2024
The Star was looking for Black, local grassroots activists and had gotten a tip that Stacer and Heartland would fit that bill.
—Mará Rose Williams, Kansas City Star, 29 Apr. 2024
The exhibit also includes a short film starring the inmates and Zoe Saldana, and prints in the prison coffee shop by onetime Catholic nun and American social activist Corita Kent.
—CBS News, 28 Apr. 2024
Another demonstration occurred Wednesday at USC in which 93 students and off-campus activists were arrested.
—Laura Daniella Sepulveda, The Arizona Republic, 27 Apr. 2024
The government has seized the coercive powers of the state to fearsome ends, arresting activists and human-rights defenders under various provisions of the law.
—Ashoka Mody, The Atlantic, 26 Apr. 2024
Detroit Free Press, 18 Apr. 2024
If anything, the board doubled down on backing Mr. Musk, Tesla’s chief executive, risking riling up activist investors and more litigation.
—Jack Ewing, New York Times, 17 Apr. 2024
In 2014, activist investors— including Carl Icahn and Nelson Peltz — pushed Family Dollar to sell itself.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 11 Apr. 2024
Former Attorney General Curtis Hill, catering to an activist base, and Indianapolis mom Jamie Reitenour, catering to evangelicals, are struggling in polling and fundraising.
—The Indianapolis Star, 11 Apr. 2024
Shareholder meetings: Dimon had strong words for activist investors who use shareholder meetings to engage in a campaign to influence corporate actions.
—Nicole Goodkind, CNN, 9 Apr. 2024
And investors should take heed from my colleague Geoff Colvin, who notes that following an activist investor into a stock is a tricky strategy.
—Diane Brady, Fortune, 8 Apr. 2024
Bob Iger can go back to work overhauling Disney now that activist investor Nelson Peltz has been dispatched, and the veteran CEO for one believes that’s a good thing for shareholders.
—Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 5 Apr. 2024
His comments came a day after Disney prevailed in a proxy fight over activist investors including Trian Partners’ Nelson Peltz, who lost his bid to get a pair of seats on the company’s board.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 5 Apr. 2024
Noun
Video shows pro-Palestinian rallies held before Columbia protest Pro-Palestinian activists protesting the Israel-Hamas war established an encampment at Columbia University on April 17.
—Andre Byik, USA TODAY, 30 Apr. 2024
Protesters along the perimeter of the zone allegedly blocked Jewish students from walking through, as anti-Israel activists used force, harassment and threats of violence.
—Greg Wehner, Fox News, 30 Apr. 2024
Advertisement One of the activists arrested, assistant professor Rouhollah Aghasaleh, vowed to reject any bond and embark on a hunger strike until he and all his students were released.
—Jessica Garrison, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2024
Mitsui Fudosan released a plan in April to sell assets and increase buybacks, two months after news of Elliott’s stake in the firm, while Dai Nippon Printing announced its largest-ever stock buyback in March 2023 following pressure from the activist fund.
—Winnie Hsu, Fortune Asia, 29 Apr. 2024
The Star was looking for Black, local grassroots activists and had gotten a tip that Stacer and Heartland would fit that bill.
—Mará Rose Williams, Kansas City Star, 29 Apr. 2024
The exhibit also includes a short film starring the inmates and Zoe Saldana, and prints in the prison coffee shop by onetime Catholic nun and American social activist Corita Kent.
—CBS News, 28 Apr. 2024
Another demonstration occurred Wednesday at USC in which 93 students and off-campus activists were arrested.
—Laura Daniella Sepulveda, The Arizona Republic, 27 Apr. 2024
The government has seized the coercive powers of the state to fearsome ends, arresting activists and human-rights defenders under various provisions of the law.
—Ashoka Mody, The Atlantic, 26 Apr. 2024
Adjective
Six activist groups received federal grants to research ways to prevent crime and curb gun violence.
—Detroit Free Press, 18 Apr. 2024
If anything, the board doubled down on backing Mr. Musk, Tesla’s chief executive, risking riling up activist investors and more litigation.
—Jack Ewing, New York Times, 17 Apr. 2024
In 2014, activist investors— including Carl Icahn and Nelson Peltz — pushed Family Dollar to sell itself.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 11 Apr. 2024
Former Attorney General Curtis Hill, catering to an activist base, and Indianapolis mom Jamie Reitenour, catering to evangelicals, are struggling in polling and fundraising.
—The Indianapolis Star, 11 Apr. 2024
Shareholder meetings: Dimon had strong words for activist investors who use shareholder meetings to engage in a campaign to influence corporate actions.
—Nicole Goodkind, CNN, 9 Apr. 2024
And investors should take heed from my colleague Geoff Colvin, who notes that following an activist investor into a stock is a tricky strategy.
—Diane Brady, Fortune, 8 Apr. 2024
Bob Iger can go back to work overhauling Disney now that activist investor Nelson Peltz has been dispatched, and the veteran CEO for one believes that’s a good thing for shareholders.
—Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 5 Apr. 2024
His comments came a day after Disney prevailed in a proxy fight over activist investors including Trian Partners’ Nelson Peltz, who lost his bid to get a pair of seats on the company’s board.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 5 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'activist.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Activist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/activist. Accessed 5 May. 2024.
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