feminist

1 of 2

noun

fem·​i·​nist ˈfe-mə-nist 

plural feminists

: a person who supports or engages in feminism

Similarly, Saint Thomas's resident nun, Sister Maureen (Ann Dowd), is no girlish cutie: She's an ardent, in-your-face feminist.

—Terrence Rafferty

He [Stendhal] was a feminist and … he held that to deprive women of education 'deprives society of half its potential for intellectual achievement'.

—V. S. Pritchett

feminist

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adjective

: of, relating to, supporting, or compatible with feminism

feminist theory

the feminist movement

The act of speaking is a way women come to power, telling our stories, sharing history, engaging in feminist discussion.

—bell hooks

[Patricia] Ireland, past president of the National Organization for Women, is perhaps the best-known former Pan Am flight attendant of the '60s; seven years working for the airline helped inspire her feminist activism, which included campaigning for the Equal Rights Amendment.

—Sarah Rose

Examples of feminist in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

To say anything else, many feminists now argue, would be to infantilize her, to subordinate her—to the state, to moralism—rather than acknowledge her mastery of her own body. —S. C. Cornell, New Yorker, 5 Jan. 2026

Second-wave feminists advocated for women’s right to lead lives extending beyond the home. —Lauren Hilgers, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025

Adjective

Though some of its '90s quirks may now feel a little passé, the WB fantasy show still stands as a feminist touchstone, breaking away from the 1992 film's damsel-in-distress trope to deliver a complex, empowered hero. —James Mercadante, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Jan. 2026

Long before Madonna, Bardot pursued several love affairs with men on her own terms and was unapologetic about her hedonistic behavior and lifestyle in a pre-feminist era. —Lee Smith, CNN Money, 28 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1887, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1852, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing feminist

• anti-feminist
• pre-feminist
• trans exclusionary radical feminist