activist

1 of 2

noun

ac·​tiv·​ist ˈak-ti-vist 

plural activists

: one who advocates or practices activism : a person who uses or supports strong actions (such as public protests) in support of or opposition to one side of a controversial issue

Antiwar activists were protesting in the streets.

an environmental activist

political activists

The conventional wisdom is that young people no longer care enough to stand up for what is important; that the days of activism and protest have faded into the past, the bailiwick of aging hippies and activists.

—The Easton (Massachusetts) Journal

activistic

ˌak-ti-ˈvi-stik 

adjective

What is news to me … is how much alike were the fears and concerns of both activistic Democrats and skeptical Republicans …

—Nathan Glazer

activist

2 of 2

adjective

: advocating or practicing activism : using or supporting strong actions in support of or opposition to one side of a controversial issue

For the activist groups that will carry the nomination fight to the public, the name of the game is hit early and often.

—Richard Lacayo

Pressing demands that are both global and granular, the activist investor has turned himself into one of the food sector's most influential players, affecting how millions of people eat each day.

—Julie Jargon

They plan to become activist shareholders who will protest global-warming resolutions and anything else that undermines corporate profitability.

—John J. Miller

Examples of activist in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Kennedy, a prominent anti-vaccine activist and prolific conspiracy theorist, was tapped by Trump to lead the Department of Health and Human Services days after he was reelected president in November. —Muri Assunção, New York Daily News, 29 Mar. 2025

Trump was reelected in 2024 with a special focus on low-propensity voters, spearheaded by Musk and conservative activist Charlie Kirk. —W. James Antle Iii, The Washington Examiner, 28 Mar. 2025

Adjective

The addition of Levy comes after WBD faced pressure from the activist hedge fund Sessa Capital, which built a roughly 1 percent stake in the company and had been pushing to add board members and restructure itself faster, The Wall Street Journal reported. —Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 31 Mar. 2025

Unveiled with campaign images fronted by activist model Rosie Viva and artist Joseph Awuah-Darko, who are both vocal about their bipolar disorder, the collection was created in tandem with British designer John Skelton, who was named cultural and creative director of EBIT last year. —Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 30 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1920, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1917, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

activist

noun

ac·​tiv·​ist

ˈak-ti-vəst

: a person who believes in forceful action (as a mass demonstration) for political purposes

activism

-ˌviz-əm

noun