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cap·i·tal·ist
ˈka-pə-tə-list 
ˈkap-tə-
1
: a person who has capital especially invested in business
industrial capitalists
2
: a person who favors capitalism
variants
or capitalistic
ˌka-pə-tə-ˈli-stik
ˌkap-tə-
1
: owning capital
the capitalist class
2
a
: practicing or advocating capitalism
capitalist nations
b
: marked by capitalism
capitalist period of history
Synonyms
Example Sentences
Noun
capitalists who lost everything in the '29 Crash
Recent Examples on the Web
Joe Garofoli, San Francisco Chronicle, 5 Mar. 2023
That’s what Amy Kruse, a neuroscientist and venture capitalist who sits on Paradromics’ board, highlighted in her firm’s decision to invest in the company.
—Daniel Gilbert, Washington Post, 3 Mar. 2023
Making a career as a venture capitalist is a route that many couldn’t imagine just a few decades ago.
—David Meyer, Fortune, 28 Feb. 2023
Candidate of the opposition party PDP Abubakar, 76, is a former Nigerian vice president and a staunch capitalist who made his fortune investing in various sectors in the country.
—Nimi Princewill, CNN, 25 Feb. 2023
Viewers will be introduced to two new characters: Girls' Becky Ann Baker will portray Ted's mom, and Jodi Balfour, best known for her role in the Apple TV+ series For All Mankind, will play a venture capitalist.
—Samantha Stutsman, Peoplemag, 14 Feb. 2023
Hill went on to become a highly successful venture capitalist, adding several zeroes to her net worth.
—Dallas News, 6 Oct. 2022
Faced with a choice between another landowning capitalist and a spaceport, the crofters tend to side with the spaceport.
—WIRED, 31 Jan. 2023
The initial results of a Twitter poll conducted by Jason Calacanis, a venture capitalist and podcaster angling to be CEO, suggest there is precious little appetite for the privilege of simply tweeting as a verified account.
—Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 31 Oct. 2022
Hannah Grossman, Fox News, 19 Mar. 2023
And, as with any queen, her domestic orbit is common knowledge: the rapper husband with the capitalist hustle and the wandering eye, their twins, the gifted but hopelessly overshadowed younger sister.
—Inkoo Kang, The New Yorker, 17 Mar. 2023
That, in turn, triggered a number of tech companies with huge accounts at the bank to rush for the exits Thursday — spurred in part by their venture capitalist backers — resulting in an astounding $42 billion worth of withdrawals Thursday.
—Jon Healey, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2023
Four decades ago, Deng, a short, stocky survivor of the Cultural Revolution, kicked off an effort to unshackle China from the ideological turmoil of Mao Zedong’s rule, embrace capitalist forces and open China to the West.
—Lingling Wei, WSJ, 12 Mar. 2023
Miyazaki’s vision of a society of spirits ushers you through a blissful adventure while commenting on our all-consuming capitalist system.
—Ryan Gaur, Rolling Stone, 9 Mar. 2023
Baseball was never on the agenda, in part because the communist government discouraged the sport as too American, too capitalist.
—David Waldstein Nina Riggio, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2023
Instead, the 2013 video game has been updated to convey fashionable anti-American, anti-capitalist disdain.
—Armond White, National Review, 1 Mar. 2023
But then, Rockefeller and Clark had started Buy Nothing as a counteragent to the capitalist ethic that concentrates wealth and power in the hands of the few while ruining lives, communities, and the environment.
—WIRED, 23 Feb. 2023
See More
Noun
That’s because of her husband Paul, a longtime venture capitalist and property owner.
—Joe Garofoli, San Francisco Chronicle, 5 Mar. 2023
That’s what Amy Kruse, a neuroscientist and venture capitalist who sits on Paradromics’ board, highlighted in her firm’s decision to invest in the company.
—Daniel Gilbert, Washington Post, 3 Mar. 2023
Making a career as a venture capitalist is a route that many couldn’t imagine just a few decades ago.
—David Meyer, Fortune, 28 Feb. 2023
Candidate of the opposition party PDP Abubakar, 76, is a former Nigerian vice president and a staunch capitalist who made his fortune investing in various sectors in the country.
—Nimi Princewill, CNN, 25 Feb. 2023
Viewers will be introduced to two new characters: Girls' Becky Ann Baker will portray Ted's mom, and Jodi Balfour, best known for her role in the Apple TV+ series For All Mankind, will play a venture capitalist.
—Samantha Stutsman, Peoplemag, 14 Feb. 2023
Hill went on to become a highly successful venture capitalist, adding several zeroes to her net worth.
—Dallas News, 6 Oct. 2022
Faced with a choice between another landowning capitalist and a spaceport, the crofters tend to side with the spaceport.
—WIRED, 31 Jan. 2023
The initial results of a Twitter poll conducted by Jason Calacanis, a venture capitalist and podcaster angling to be CEO, suggest there is precious little appetite for the privilege of simply tweeting as a verified account.
—Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 31 Oct. 2022
Adjective
The teacher at Highland Park Middle School, Mandi Jung, frequently posts videos on TikTok espousing anti-capitalist and anarchist philosophies.
—Hannah Grossman, Fox News, 19 Mar. 2023
And, as with any queen, her domestic orbit is common knowledge: the rapper husband with the capitalist hustle and the wandering eye, their twins, the gifted but hopelessly overshadowed younger sister.
—Inkoo Kang, The New Yorker, 17 Mar. 2023
That, in turn, triggered a number of tech companies with huge accounts at the bank to rush for the exits Thursday — spurred in part by their venture capitalist backers — resulting in an astounding $42 billion worth of withdrawals Thursday.
—Jon Healey, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2023
Four decades ago, Deng, a short, stocky survivor of the Cultural Revolution, kicked off an effort to unshackle China from the ideological turmoil of Mao Zedong’s rule, embrace capitalist forces and open China to the West.
—Lingling Wei, WSJ, 12 Mar. 2023
Miyazaki’s vision of a society of spirits ushers you through a blissful adventure while commenting on our all-consuming capitalist system.
—Ryan Gaur, Rolling Stone, 9 Mar. 2023
Baseball was never on the agenda, in part because the communist government discouraged the sport as too American, too capitalist.
—David Waldstein Nina Riggio, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2023
Instead, the 2013 video game has been updated to convey fashionable anti-American, anti-capitalist disdain.
—Armond White, National Review, 1 Mar. 2023
But then, Rockefeller and Clark had started Buy Nothing as a counteragent to the capitalist ethic that concentrates wealth and power in the hands of the few while ruining lives, communities, and the environment.
—WIRED, 23 Feb. 2023
See More
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'capitalist.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Word History
Etymology
Noun
probably borrowed from French capitaliste "person possessing capital," from capital capital entry 2 + -iste -ist entry 1
Adjective
Phrases Containing capitalist
Dictionary Entries Near capitalist
Cite this Entry
“Capitalist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/capitalist. Accessed 25 Mar. 2023.
Kids Definition
capitalist
noun
cap·i·tal·ist
ˈkap-ət-ᵊl-əst,
ˈkap-tᵊl-
1
: a person who has capital and especially business capital
2
: a person who supports capitalism
More from Merriam-Webster on capitalist
Nglish: Translation of capitalist for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of capitalist for Arabic Speakers
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