pacifist

1 of 2

noun

pac·​i·​fist ˈpa-sə-fist 

plural pacifists

: an adherent to pacifism : someone who opposes war or violence as a means of settling disputes

… the attack inflamed the American public and turned isolationists and pacifists into gung-ho patriots hot for revenge.

—Evan Thomas

Not every woman will or should be a pacifist; and to advance in the Senate and into the White House, women will have to convince the voters that they're prepared to go to war.

—Wendy Kaminer

pacifist

2 of 2

adjective

variants or pacifistic

ˌpa-sə-ˈfi-stik 

1

: of, relating to, or characteristic of pacifism or pacifists

distributing pacifist literature

2

: strongly and actively opposed to conflict and especially war

pacifist beliefs

pacifistically

ˌpa-sə-ˈfi-sti-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Synonyms

Noun

• dove
• peacenik

Adjective

• dovish
• pacific
• peaceable
• peaceful

Examples of pacifist in a Sentence

Noun

a committed pacifist, Gandhi succeeded in bringing about Indian independence using only nonviolence

Adjective

the newspaper's editorial board has clearly staked out a pacifist position on the current conflict

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The official synopsis reads: When a pacifist is called to a political act that could change the course of history, how will a man of honor respond? —Nancy Tartaglione, Deadline, 20 June 2024

Rankin was a lifelong pacifist who campaigned for social and electoral reform. —Clare Mulroy, USA TODAY, 27 Mar. 2024

Adjective

Such worms took on the characterization of a prankster, like the WANK (Worms Against Nuclear Killers), which plagued NASA computers with pacifist messages in 1989 and deceived users into believing their files were being deleted. —The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 23 Oct. 2024

Jeane Kirkpatrick, President Ronald Reagan’s foreign policy adviser and later U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, was never known for pacifist views. —Charli Carpenter, Foreign Affairs, 28 Mar. 2011

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1898, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1908, in the meaning defined at sense 1