survivalist

noun

sur·​viv·​al·​ist sər-ˈvī-və-list How to pronounce survivalist (audio)
: a person who advocates or practices survivalism
especially : one who has prepared to survive in the anarchy of an anticipated breakdown of society
survivalist adjective

Examples of survivalist 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.
For those of us who remember that first shock-to-the-system viewing of Boyle’s 2002 survivalist tale, the idea of returning to this world now was both welcome and worrying. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 18 June 2025 The 1970s saw the emergence of the survivalist movement, which dwindled in the 1990s as it became increasingly associated with an extreme-right subculture steeped in racist ideology. Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 17 June 2025 Authorities said Decker, a former Army infantryman with survival skills, may have used his rugged survivalist capabilities to evade capture. Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 11 June 2025 Securing 500 pounds of moose meat represented a massive advantage in Alone’s survivalist competition. Frederick Dreier, Outside Online, 11 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for survivalist

Word History

First Known Use

1950, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of survivalist was in 1950

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Cite this Entry

“Survivalist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/survivalist. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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