as in socialists
an adherent or advocate of an economic system in which the means of production are owned and controlled by the state
communists were plotting an overthrow of the government
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of communists
Suharto blamed the coup on communists, ousted then-President Sukarno – the country’s first post-independence leader – and sanctioned a hunt for those responsible.
—
Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 11 Nov. 2025
Suharto, who is also the current leader’s father-in-law, came to power following brutal bloodletting in 1965 in which at least half a million people alleged to be communists were killed, and critics point to widespread reports of torture and forced disappearances through to his overthrow in 1998.
—Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 10 Nov. 2025
At the same time, Republicans are hoping that Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani being elected the next mayor of New York City will present the GOP with the opportunity to portray Democrats as far-Left communists again, particularly animating political rhetoric for the party.
—Naomi Lim, The Washington Examiner, 4 Nov. 2025
Demobilized soldiers flocked to the paramilitary organizations that all major parties maintained, from the Nazi Stormtroopers (SA) to the conservative Steel Helmet League to the communists’ Red Front Fighters’ Association.
—Time, 23 Oct. 2025
Between 1950 and 1954, Senator Joseph McCarthy's lists of communists were actually just targets.
—Alexis Coe, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Oct. 2025
That coalition between the far-left, communists, greens and socialists has since imploded.
—Charlotte Reed, CNBC, 7 Oct. 2025
Antisemites denounced Jews both as capitalists and as communists—two creeds international in scope.
—Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
Cosmists who believed in technology as a messianic force clashed not just with the Svyatogor camp, but also with the communists, whose guiding ideology of Marxism-Leninism was predicated on the dismantling of age-old social systems to establish a novel world order.
—Tim Brinkhof, Big Think, 12 Sep. 2025
Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 11 Nov. 2025
Suharto, who is also the current leader’s father-in-law, came to power following brutal bloodletting in 1965 in which at least half a million people alleged to be communists were killed, and critics point to widespread reports of torture and forced disappearances through to his overthrow in 1998.
—Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 10 Nov. 2025
At the same time, Republicans are hoping that Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani being elected the next mayor of New York City will present the GOP with the opportunity to portray Democrats as far-Left communists again, particularly animating political rhetoric for the party.
—Naomi Lim, The Washington Examiner, 4 Nov. 2025
Demobilized soldiers flocked to the paramilitary organizations that all major parties maintained, from the Nazi Stormtroopers (SA) to the conservative Steel Helmet League to the communists’ Red Front Fighters’ Association.
—Time, 23 Oct. 2025
Between 1950 and 1954, Senator Joseph McCarthy's lists of communists were actually just targets.
—Alexis Coe, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Oct. 2025
That coalition between the far-left, communists, greens and socialists has since imploded.
—Charlotte Reed, CNBC, 7 Oct. 2025
Antisemites denounced Jews both as capitalists and as communists—two creeds international in scope.
—Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
Cosmists who believed in technology as a messianic force clashed not just with the Svyatogor camp, but also with the communists, whose guiding ideology of Marxism-Leninism was predicated on the dismantling of age-old social systems to establish a novel world order.
—Tim Brinkhof, Big Think, 12 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for communists
socialists
Noun
-
The congressman might be surprised to learn that, a little more than a century ago, his own state had been home to one of the strongest contingents of socialists in America.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Democratic socialists believe that the government and economy should be run for the benefit of the public rather than private profit.—
Eduardo Cuevas,
USA Today,
4 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Communists.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/communists. Accessed 15 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share