separatist 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of separatistnext
as in sectarian

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separatist

2 of 2

noun

as in secessionist

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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 separatist
Adjective
Turkey’s separatist Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) – designated a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States, and the European Union – abandoned the goal of full independence a few decades ago. — The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 11 Aug. 2026 The separatist war with Serbia began in 1998 when the rebel Kosovo Liberation Army launched a struggle for independence and Serbia responded with a brutal crackdown. — ABC News, 29 July 2026
Noun
However, the film makes only passing mention of specifics, like the Khalistan separatist movement which forms the story’s backdrop, giving local police and politicians carte blanche for their brutality (and their persecution of Khalra). — Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 20 July 2026 Iranian authorities, in turn, view armed Kurdish factions as separatist or terrorist threats, especially groups such as PJAK, which has clashed for years with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps along Iran’s western border. — Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 30 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for separatist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for separatist
  1. sectarian
  2. secessionist
  3. schismatic
  4. extremist
Adjective
  • Instead, most of its rancor is directed without sectarian bias, at the politician class.
    — Jessica Kiang, Variety, 23 Aug. 2026
  • The initial proposal, debated since 2019, has exposed sectarian tensions among the country’s multitude of Islamic and Christian sects.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of sectarian
Noun
  • This week on The Sunday Story, reporter Connor Towne O'Neill takes us inside the movement to split Illinois, and the challenges facing a modern secessionist movement in the land of Lincoln.
    — NPR, NPR, 5 July 2026
  • However, various secessionist movements waxed and waned during the period between independence and the Civil War.
    — Scott Spires Britannica Editors June 3, Encyclopedia Britannica, 3 June 2026
Definition of secessionist
Adjective
  • The Vatican said the consecrations, carried out without the pope’s approval and therefore in conflict with Catholic law, constituted a schismatic act that severed the society’s communion with Rome.
    — Nora O'Neill, Charlotte Observer, 6 July 2026
  • The highly organized religious extravaganza underscored the society’s international reach despite its schismatic outsider status, and appeal to conservative, traditionalist Catholics wary of the modern, secular world.
    — Jamey Keaten, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026
Definition of schismatic
Noun
  • Spinks has spent years investigating and documenting nihilistic violent extremists and reported Spitze’s concerning online footprint to law enforcement.
    — Hudson Crozier, The Washington Examiner, 20 Aug. 2026
  • With a real-world legal event like the SPLC indictment, extremists can point to government action as evidence that their worldview is being validated.
    — Art Jipson, The Conversation, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of extremist

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Cite this Entry

“Separatist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/separatist. Accessed 26 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on separatist

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about separatist

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