separatist

sep·a·rat·ist | \ ˈse-p(ə-)rə-tist

How to pronounce separatist (audio)

, ˈse-pə-ˌrā- \

Definition of separatist

: one that favors separatism: such as

a capitalized : one of a group of 16th and 17th century English Protestants preferring to separate from rather than to reform the Church of England

b : an advocate of independence or autonomy for a part of a political unit (such as a nation)

c : an advocate of racial or cultural separation

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Examples of separatist in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Radical separatists have clashed with police each night in Barcelona and other Catalan cities following large peaceful protests. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Barcelona mayor calls for violence in Catalonia to stop," 19 Oct. 2019 The Indian government claims the current crackdown is an attempt to prevent armed Muslim separatist groups from launching attacks, but Mubashir and Sheikh say that is merely a pretext for the Modi government’s hardline political aims. — oregonlive, "Indian military crackdown cuts off Kashmir’s connection with outside world; Portland-area Kashmiris fear the worst," 19 Sep. 2019 The fact that its price includes a political dialogue with Catalan separatists has right-wing newspapers outraged. — The Economist, "Why Pedro Sánchez needs an agreement with Catalan separatists," 12 Dec. 2019 The first such move can be traced to mid-2017 when the centre launched Operation All-out against militants and the National Investigation Agency’s (NIA) probe against separatist leaders. — Riyaz Wani, Quartz India, "Long before revoking Kashmir’s autonomy, India had a ready plan to quell protests," 2 Dec. 2019 So far, Zelenskiy’s efforts have failed to substantially move Russia or the separatists. — Olga Kamenchuk, The Conversation, "American influence could take the hit as Putin, Zelenskiy try to make peace in Ukraine," 6 Dec. 2019 Volker, a veteran diplomat who was trying to resolve the long-running dispute between the Ukrainian government and Russian separatists, could be a key witness for the congressional committees. — John Cassidy, The New Yorker, "The Democrats Are Looking to Strike Quickly in the Impeachment Inquiry," 28 Sep. 2019 For once, both separatists and unionists may define their politics in adversarial terms to New Delhi, if not sharing the same platform. — Riyaz Wani, Quartz India, "After three weeks of lockdown, this is what Kashmir looks like," 22 Aug. 2019 With Russia in control of Ukraine’s Black Sea peninsula of Crimea and backing separatists in eastern Ukraine, the government in Kiev is unable to fulfill its aspirations of joining the European Union or NATO. — Mstyslav Chernov, The Seattle Times, "Ukrainian workers, seeing little hope at home, head abroad," 25 Mar. 2019

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

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Dictionary Entries near separatist

separation of variables

separation point

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Last Updated

13 Jan 2020

Cite this Entry

“Separatist.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/separatist. Accessed 22 January 2020.

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