feminist

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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

We're tempted to ask, Was Agnes a feminist? —Mariel Carr, Scientific American, 20 Mar. 2026

The work is about the Iranian feminist poet Forugh Farrokhzad (1934-67), whose writing and life stirred controversy even among friends and family. —Michael Zwiebach, San Francisco Chronicle, 14 Mar. 2026

Adjective

Rachel O’Leary Carmona is the executive director of Women’s March, a movement mobilizing for a feminist future. —Rachel O'Leary Carmona, Rolling Stone, 22 Mar. 2026

Various reform and feminist movements were pushing the regime to soften its militant foreign policy, its oppressive dress codes, and its censorship of civil society. —Azadeh Moaveni, New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2026

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