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

In the last few years, Teen Vogue has rebranded itself as a beacon for rigorous, progressive, gender-expansive-feminist journalism, with a singular focus on how today’s biggest issues affect the teens. —Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 13 Nov. 2025

Some feminists saw that as presumption, skipping the long price of admission—slights, salaries, stares. —James Marcus, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025

Adjective

Struggles over the right to access public space connects many social movements like the global feminist movements, environmental justice movements, racial justice movements, and others. —JSTOR Daily, 14 Nov. 2025

In her state of the site report, Leonard, who’s also the founding editor of the feminist Lux magazine, elegized Teen Vogue—and underlined its importance to the landscape. —Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 13 Nov. 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