anarchist

noun an·ar·chist \ ˈa-nər-kist , -ˌnär- \

|Updated on: 13 Jul 2018

Definition of anarchist

1 : a person who rebels against any authority, established order, or ruling power

2 : a person who believes in, advocates, or promotes anarchism or anarchy; especially : one who uses violent means to overthrow the established order

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anarchist

or anarchistic play \ˌa-nər-ˈkis-tik, -(ˌ)när-\ adjective

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Recent Examples of anarchist from the Web

In the days of recriminatory panic that followed, eight anarchists were put on trial, seven were convicted of conspiracy to commit murder and four subsequently were hanged.

— chris jones, chicagotribune.com, "Tears and cheers at stirring true story of 'Haymarket'," 24 June 2018
Dawson seems to be inspired by quasi-anarchist movements like Occupy Sandy.

— aaron m. renn, New York Times, "Four Books Explore Various Aspects of Cities Past and Present," 20 Apr. 2018
Berlin, gritty and vibrant, has always been a draw for anarchists and artists—families fare well here, too.

— Vogue, "In Berlin, a New Rooftop Playground Turns Child’s Play into High Art," 5 June 2018
Two days after the attack, anarchists stormed Greece’s top administrative court, smashing window panes and tossing paint on the walls.

— yannis palaiologos, WSJ, "The Far Left and Right Run Riot on Greek Streets," 28 May 2018
For Bragg to be named one of Hill's spiritual successors by an anarchist anti-war protester as prominent as Hoffman was no small honor—and to actually imbibe his ashes was akin to taking Wobbly communion.

— kim kelly, Chicago Reader, "The protest songs that drove the Wobblies a century ago are still lighting fires," 26 Apr. 2018
There were also reports alleging that anarchists attacked a biker carrying a Greek flag and a person wearing a T-shirt commemorating the participation of Greek mercenaries in the massacres of Muslim civilians in Bosnia during the 1990s.

— elena becatoros, The Seattle Times, "Greeks rally in Athens to protest use of the name Macedonia," 4 Feb. 2018
A few hundred gathered in the Southeast Portland park Tuesday afternoon and evening to celebrate the annual event, which is dedicated to workers' rights and celebrated by anarchists and others with anti-capitalist leanings worldwide.

— jim ryan, OregonLive.com, "Portland marks May Day with picnic instead of protests," 1 May 2018
The two started Open Source in April 2017 after Warren saw a video of anarchists in Portland patching their city's streets.

— USA TODAY, "Two guys were tired of waiting for the city to fill potholes, so they're doing it themselves," 8 Apr. 2018

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