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

In Lively’s version of events, Baldoni was an egotistical, posturing actor, who tried to present himself as an enlightened male feminist. —Martha Ross, Mercury News, 22 Jan. 2026

There was some connection between Toklas and pot brownies, and all the feminists and lesbians were into them. —Jonathan Bernstein, Rolling Stone, 22 Jan. 2026

Adjective

Alonso, Tuma, and Muñozcano—despite all being men—showed a feminist approach to the care of our group during in-person sessions, literally feeding us and tending to our needs. —Catherine Taft, Artforum, 1 Feb. 2026

Millennial women, raised on Girl Power and rom-coms in which the heroine gets the job and the man, joined the workforce just in time for the girlboss culture of the 2010s, which promised that hard work would lead not only to personal success but also to feminist victory. —Lily Meyer, The Atlantic, 29 Jan. 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