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manifesto

1 of 2

noun

man·​i·​fes·​to ˌma-nə-ˈfe-(ˌ)stō How to pronounce manifesto (audio)
plural manifestos or manifestoes
: a written statement declaring publicly the intentions, motives, or views of its issuer
The group's manifesto focused on helping the poor and stopping violence.

manifesto

2 of 2

verb

manifestoed; manifestoing; manifestos

intransitive verb

: to issue a manifesto

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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

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
The table of contents page, for example, included a word cloud with the words Black and power, cut and paste together in the style of a manifesto. Literary Hub, 25 Nov. 2025 Earlier shooters in El Paso and Christchurch posted manifestos on 8chan before livestreaming their crimes. Stepheny Price , Ashley Papa, FOXNews.com, 23 Nov. 2025 One roars unimpeded through blogs, memes, forums, group texts, Substacks, and chatrooms, while another unfolds at a more stately pace, by means of policy papers, revisionist histories, and conservative political-philosophical manifestos. Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 22 Nov. 2025 The MySpace page is a hell of an artistic manifesto, explaining the whole Livvy concept. Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 22 Nov. 2025 The men’s faces were exposed, video posted to social media reveals, and the speech one of them gave was considered – delivering a highly localized manifesto, showing both ambition and independence from other ISIS franchises, analysts have noted. Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 21 Nov. 2025 While Crooks did not leave a manifesto, more social media accounts were discovered on various platforms. Jenny Goldsberry, The Washington Examiner, 19 Nov. 2025 Prosecutors say the Maniac Murder Cult's manifesto and solicitations online have inspired real-life killings, including a school shooting in Nashville, Tennessee. Tim McNicholas, CBS News, 18 Nov. 2025 That means drastically cutting spending or breaking a manifesto pledge not to raise certain taxes — or a combination of the two. Chloe Taylor,hugh Leask, CNBC, 17 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Italian, denunciation, manifest, from manifestare to manifest, from Latin, from manifestus

First Known Use

Noun

1620, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1748, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of manifesto was in 1620

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Cite this Entry

“Manifesto.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/manifesto. Accessed 30 Nov. 2025.

Kids Definition

manifesto

noun
man·​i·​fes·​to
ˌman-ə-ˈfes-tō
plural manifestos or manifestoes
: a public declaration of intentions or views

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