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

Federici and Dalla Costa joined forces and, alongside feminists Selma James and Brigitte Galtier, co-founded the International Feminist Collective, or IFC, in 1972. —Hazlitt, 4 Sep. 2024

But Varda the feminist is aware of how the world sees her, and older women in general: As objects of pity or adorable mascots, when they are perceived at all. —Indiewire Staff, IndieWire, 13 Aug. 2024

Adjective

The feminist movement is the movement that is most apt to create a common ground. —Hazlitt, 4 Sep. 2024

Yet Barnet is skeptical of activism, depicting environmentalists as posers and lambasting the feminist movement. —Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2024

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