capitalist

1 of 2

noun

cap·​i·​tal·​ist ˈka-pə-tə-list How to pronounce capitalist (audio)
ˈkap-tə-
1
: a person who has capital especially invested in business
industrial capitalists
broadly : a person of wealth : plutocrat
Charitable organizations often seek help from capitalists.
2
: a person who favors capitalism

capitalist

2 of 2

adjective

variants or capitalistic
1
: owning capital
the capitalist class
2
a
: practicing or advocating capitalism
capitalist nations
b
: marked by capitalism
capitalist period of history
capitalistically adverb

Examples of capitalist in a Sentence

Noun capitalists who lost everything in the '29 Crash
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Venture capitalist David Sacks, who is now Trump’s AI and crypto czar, said after the news about Conway that Benioff could join the Republicans. Ari Levy, CNBC, 17 Oct. 2025 This time around, Chambers is watching from the other side of the table—as a venture capitalist betting on AI startups. Jessica Coacci, Fortune, 7 Oct. 2025
Adjective
The Red Army Faction advocated for an immediate, armed revolution against the capitalist class in Japan. Kayti Burt, Time, 17 Oct. 2025 People’s judgment is respected in a capitalist system, and government has no say at all in what companies and individuals do. Agustina Vergara Cid, Oc Register, 11 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for capitalist

Word History

Etymology

Noun

probably borrowed from French capitaliste "person possessing capital," from capital capital entry 2 + -iste -ist entry 1

Adjective

capital entry 2 + -ist entry 2, after capitalist entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1774, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1845, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of capitalist was in 1774

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Capitalist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/capitalist. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.

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

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