as in dove
a person who opposes war or warlike policies
a committed pacifist, Gandhi succeeded in bringing about Indian independence using only nonviolence
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
variants
or pacifistic
as in pacific
inclined to live in peace and to avoid war
the newspaper's editorial board has clearly staked out a pacifist position on the current conflict
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pacifist
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Jan. 2026
All voiceover in the film is detached from the images, from a mixture of unidentified community folk who are content to speak anonymously, and neighboring outsiders perplexed by these out-of-time pacifists.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 21 Nov. 2025
J.d. Capelouto, semafor.com, 31 Mar. 2026
Japan’s pacifist constitution wouldn’t bar the country from helping with mine clearance around the Strait of Hormuz at the conclusion of the war between the US, Israel and Iran, but Tokyo has no plans to deploy minesweepers to the region, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said.
—Alastair Gale, Bloomberg, 12 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pacifist
Noun
There are nods to this history throughout, and particularly in the restaurant, Annette, which was named in tribute to Annette Kolb, the inspirational French-German writer and pacifist who lived at the original Hotel Cayré for 17 years from 1944.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Jan. 2026
All voiceover in the film is detached from the images, from a mixture of unidentified community folk who are content to speak anonymously, and neighboring outsiders perplexed by these out-of-time pacifists.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 21 Nov. 2025
Adjective
Japan deployed its first long-range cruise missiles at a military camp, pushing the limits of the country’s pacifist stance.
—J.d. Capelouto, semafor.com, 31 Mar. 2026
Japan’s pacifist constitution wouldn’t bar the country from helping with mine clearance around the Strait of Hormuz at the conclusion of the war between the US, Israel and Iran, but Tokyo has no plans to deploy minesweepers to the region, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said.
—Alastair Gale, Bloomberg, 12 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pacifist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pacifist
Noun
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On the ceiling, where the nave and transept intersect, there will be a depiction of the Holy Spirit as a dove with radiating light and flames.—
Victoria Le,
Oc Register,
26 Apr. 2026
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Hathaway was penalized for two minutes for high sticking and visually pleaded with the referees on his way to the penalty box that Crosby dove.—
Tom Dougherty,
CBS News,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Olivier tried successfully to get the reader to understand how a gentle, pacific young man could come to kill more than a thousand people, and so capturing the tone and empathetic portrayal not only of Simo Häyhä and his colleagues but also of the often-bewildered Russian soldiers was essential.—
Erik Pedersen,
Oc Register,
30 Jan. 2026
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Courtesy: Apple Apple on Tuesday sent invites to the media and analysts for a launch event at its campus on September 9 at 10 A.M pacific time.—
Kif Leswing,
CNBC,
26 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Once fierce rivals, the two men were responsible for the country’s first peaceful transfer of power between parties, after Jefferson and his Democratic-Republican Party defeated Adams and the Federalists in the election of 1800.—
Jelani Cobb,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
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This hotel’s luxury mountain bungalows offer a quiet, peaceful retreat in the heart of the cloud forest.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
3 May 2026
Adjective
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Those ratings create an estimate of how many goals each team is expected to score and allow in a game against an average opponent at a neutral site.—
Dom Luszczyszyn,
New York Times,
7 May 2026
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As for footwear, Queen Maxima opted for a pair of tan leather pointed toe pumps for a neutral addition to her springtime apparel, courtesy of Gianvito Rossi.—
Julia Teti,
Footwear News,
6 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pacifist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pacifist. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
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