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Manifesto Has Latin Roots
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," is oldest, dating to the 14th century. Both manifest and manifesto derive ultimately from the Latin noun manus ("hand") and -festus, a combining form of uncertain meaning that is also found in the Latin adjective infestus ("hostile"), an ancestor of the English infest. 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 well-known 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
Helen Shaw, New Yorker, 26 June 2025
The campaign even has a manifesto that defines midlife as a reawakening — not a crisis.
—Lizzie Hyman, People.com, 20 June 2025
Over time, malicious users attempted to exploit or weaponize large language models to produce mass shooter manifestos or hate speech, or infringe copyrights.
—James Foulds, The Conversation, 18 June 2025
In terms of this manifesto, authorities say other potential targets included names of prominent pro-choice individuals, Planned Parenthood location clinics.
—Nbc News, NBC news, 15 June 2025
Police said there was a manifesto in the vehicle that identified many lawmakers and other officials.
—Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 14 June 2025
Two decades ago, a group of Scandinavian chefs met in Copenhagen and signed a manifesto that would quietly spark a global culinary revolution.
—David Nikel, Forbes.com, 5 June 2025
Venture capitalist Marc Andreessen recently published a techno-optimistic manifesto, decrying ethical oversight as stifling innovation.
—Robert C. Wolcott, Forbes.com, 17 June 2025
Both were active on far-right extremist social media platforms and posted manifestos before their attacks.
—Alex Hinton, The Conversation, 17 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Manifesto.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/manifesto. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
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