feminist

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noun

fem·​i·​nist ˈfe-mə-nist 

plural feminists

: a person who supports or engages in feminism

Similarly, Saint Thomas's resident nun, Sister Maureen (Ann Dowd), is no girlish cutie: She's an ardent, in-your-face feminist.

—Terrence Rafferty

He [Stendhal] was a feminist and … he held that to deprive women of education 'deprives society of half its potential for intellectual achievement'.

—V. S. Pritchett

feminist

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adjective

: of, relating to, supporting, or compatible with feminism

feminist theory

the feminist movement

The act of speaking is a way women come to power, telling our stories, sharing history, engaging in feminist discussion.

—bell hooks

[Patricia] Ireland, past president of the National Organization for Women, is perhaps the best-known former Pan Am flight attendant of the '60s; seven years working for the airline helped inspire her feminist activism, which included campaigning for the Equal Rights Amendment.

—Sarah Rose

Examples of feminist in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The meme presented Harris as an authentic feminist who doesn’t shy away from imperfections. —Nanki Kaur, The Mercury News, 14 Oct. 2024

French journalists often describe any questioning of female pleasure as feminist. —Ben Croll, Variety, 20 Sep. 2024

Adjective

Naomie Harris, Jameela Jamil and Romesh Ranganathan are set to star in a new feminist dramedy from Olivia Lee semi-inspired by controversial figure Andrew Tate, Variety has learned. —K.j. Yossman, Variety, 21 Oct. 2024

In a 2019 cover story for British Vogue, Kloss, now 32, said that her decision to cut ties with VS had to do with her feminist beliefs. —Catherine Santino, People.com, 16 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1887, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1852, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing feminist

• anti-feminist
• pre-feminist
• trans exclusionary radical feminist