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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
Ryan Craig, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025
Beginning during the Bosnian War in 1995, in the midst of a near four-year siege on Sarajevo, the festival’s manifesto has been to not only position itself as the biggest showcase of Southeast European cinema but to also rejuvenate a city that had been isolated from the rest of the world.
—Diana Lodderhose, Deadline, 12 Aug. 2025
Prosecutors believe the fatal shooting was meant to send a message to the healthcare insurance industry based on a manifesto found on the suspect when he was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania, days after Thompson's murder.
—Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 5 Aug. 2025
Part how-to guide, part graphic memoir, part manifesto about creativity, Picture This celebrates drawing as a means of spontaneous expression.
—Sophia Stewart, The Atlantic, 1 Aug. 2025
Earlier this year, his ruling People’s Action Party — which has won every election since Singapore’s independence in 1965 — featured Long Island prominently in its election manifesto, with the younger Lee’s successor, Lawrence Wong, also personally backing the project.
—Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 23 July 2025
From an investigative perspective, Nantz explained that establishing motive in the absence of a confession or manifesto relies heavily on digital footprints and personal interviews.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 11 July 2025
Though there’s no formal design manifesto from NFL Properties confirming it, the idea is far from just wishful thinking.
—Charlotte Observer, 3 July 2025
Authorities have not found a manifesto and are still searching for a motive as well as what drew him to Coeur d’Alene.
—N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 30 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Manifesto.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/manifesto. Accessed 28 Aug. 2025.
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