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.
Tracker stars Hartley as Colter Shaw, a lone-wolf survivalist driven by his past troubles who uses his instincts to find the missing and collect rewards. Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 30 June 2025 Escaping appears to be anything but easy as one survivalist struggling to breathe in the intense conditions, leading a crew member to step in to help. Liza Esquibias, People.com, 27 June 2025 To make matters even worse, snow pirates, survivalists, bandits, the colonial military force NEVEC, and other factions are fighting over land and resources. Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 27 June 2025 Suddenly, though, a small group of weapon-wielding survivalists emerge and kill the infected and the leader of the group asks Spike to join them. Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 21 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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Survivalist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/survivalist. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!