communist

noun

com·​mu·​nist ˈkäm-yə-nist 

-yü-

1

: an adherent or advocate of communism

2

capitalized : communard

3

a

capitalized : a member of a Communist party or movement

b

often capitalized : an adherent or advocate of a Communist government, party, or movement

4

often capitalized : one held to engage in left-wing, subversive, or revolutionary activities

communist adjective often capitalized

communistic

ˌkäm-yə-ˈni-stik 

-yü-

adjective often capitalized

communistically

ˌkäm-yə-ˈni-sti-k(ə-)lē 

-yü-

adverb

Synonyms

• socialist

Examples of communist in a Sentence

communists were plotting an overthrow of the government

Recent Examples on the Web

Two Prosecutors, his adaptation of Georgy Demidov’s eponymous novel, is set in the Soviet Union in 1937 during Stalin’s Great Purge and tells the story of a young local prosecutor and dedicated communist who starts to question his undying faith in the regime. —Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 9 July 2025

Inspired by the Popular Front in the Spanish Civil War, Jessica became a communist and, later, a journalist. —Judy Berman, Time, 27 June 2025

Peasants rose up against the authorities, socialists and communists proliferated, and the government used horrific violence to control the populace. —Ben Woollard, JSTOR Daily, 18 June 2025

Immigrants that fled a communist country, for example, might believe the MAGA-GOP's falsehood that Democrats are socialists or communists and worry about it. —Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

see communism

First Known Use

1840, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing communist

• anti-communist

Rhymes for communist

• anticommunist

Kids Definition

communist

noun

com·​mu·​nist ˈkäm-yə-nəst 

1

: a person who believes in communism

2

capitalized : a member or follower of a Communist party or movement

communist adjective often capitalized

communistic

ˌkäm-yə-ˈnis-tik 

adjective often capitalized