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

2 of 2

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

Though neither Beale publicly identified as a feminist, the Grey Gardens editors foresaw this piece as a feminist film and edited it accordingly. —Rosemary Counter, Vanity Fair, 25 Feb. 2026

What’s depicted focuses on the advances these early feminists made at the school and in society, and the personal tensions between the relentlessly radical Marks and the more politic Woolley. —Manuel Mendoza, Dallas Morning News, 19 Feb. 2026

Adjective

Do these pictures stealthily undermine that brand of autocracy because Foto Estudio Luisita was a feminist enterprise where women made images of women? —Bryan Barcena, Artforum, 1 Mar. 2026

Moving between longing, sarcastic humor and anger, Penelope is a life-affirming feminist romance that makes an ancient legend, first told thousands of years ago, still relevant today. —Manuel Mendoza, Dallas Morning News, 26 Feb. 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