Definition of MANIFESTO

Manifesto Has Latin Roots

Noun

Manifesto is related to manifest, which occurs in English as a noun, verb, and adjective. Of these, the adjective, which means "readily perceived by the senses" or "easily recognized," is oldest, dating to the 14th century. Both manifest and manifesto derive ultimately from the Latin noun manus ("hand") and -festus, a combining form that is related to the Latin adjective infestus, meaning "hostile." Something that is manifest is easy to perceive or recognize, and a manifesto is a statement in which someone makes his or her intentions or views easy for people to ascertain. Perhaps the most famous statement of this sort is the Communist Manifesto, written in 1848 by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels to outline the platform of the Communist League.

Examples of manifesto in a Sentence

Noun

The group's manifesto focused on helping the poor and stopping violence.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Former editor of Teen Vogue, this fashion and culture arbiter discusses her book — part memoir, part manifesto — on finding your way in world and workplace. — John Timpane, https://www.inquirer.com, "Readings by authors in Philly this summer: Jennifer Weiner, Richard Russo, and more," 5 June 2019 In 1969, students drafted the organization’s manifesto and declared that MEChA would be the student branch of the Chicano movement, so that young Mexican Americans could be themselves, learn their history and embrace their culture. — Dorany Pineda, latimes.com, "From ‘Chicano blowout’ to blowup: Turmoil over MEChA name change was decades in coming," 3 June 2019 The break in the case came after the Unabomber got his manifesto published. — Cleve R. Wootson Jr., Washington Post, "Austin bombings and the explosive echoes of the Unabomber," 14 Mar. 2018 His 13-track manifesto, Places We Don't Know, dropped on Foreign Family via Counter Records earlier this year and peaked at No. 11 on Top Dance/Electronic Albums. — Billboard Staff, Billboard, "Billboard Dance's Ones to Watch: April 2018," 4 Apr. 2018 No suicide note or manifesto was found, there was no evidence of radicalization or links to any terrorist organization. — Fox News, "Police say they may never know Las Vegas shooter's motive," 3 Aug. 2018 Hiroshi Sugimoto, an artist known mostly for his photographs of the ocean, spent a decade designing his own manifesto about art and consciousness, the Enoura Observatory. — Mary Louise Schumacher, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "With Kusama Museum and art-filled islands, Japan is a paradise for art nerds," 27 Apr. 2018 The Times reported that the manifesto contained white nationalist rhetoric and the author referred to themself as a fascist. — Lucy Diavolo, Teen Vogue, "Mosque Shooting Attacks in Christchurch, New Zealand, Resulted in Dozens of Deaths," 15 Mar. 2019 Yesterday's attacks at the mosques are especially jarring, considering a gunman reportedly posted a white nationalist manifesto before the attack and livestreamed part of the shooting on Facebook, according to The New York Times. — Erica Gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "Kate Middleton, Prince William, Meghan Markle, and Prince Harry Respond to the Tragic Shootings in New Zealand," 15 Mar. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'manifesto.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.