antislavery

adjective

an·​ti·​slav·​ery ˌan-tē-ˈslā-v(ə-)rē How to pronounce antislavery (audio)
ˌan-tī-
variants or anti-slavery
: opposed to slavery
an antislavery activist
the antislavery movement
antislavery noun
or anti-slavery
a strong proponent of antislavery

Examples of antislavery in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Slipping into the throng on the main floor, likely incognito until the time was right, William and Ellen were surrounded on all sides, across the floor and up to the balconies, by antislavery advocates of many colors. BostonGlobe.com, 5 Jan. 2023 The more potent political challenge came from the antislavery Republican Party. James Oakes, The New York Review of Books, 23 Mar. 2021 The antislavery constitutionalism that Lincoln embraced and helped develop would become the cornerstone for the politics of the Republican Party and in time would ignite southern secession. Sean Wilentz, The New York Review of Books, 13 Apr. 2021 The Constitution was hardly an antislavery document. Sean Wilentz, The New York Review of Books, 3 Aug. 2020 Guyatt praises Garrison for insisting that slavery was a national problem, a position that antislavery politicians repeatedly endorsed long before Garrison arrived on the scene. Nicholas Guyatt, The New York Review of Books, 6 June 2019 His pro-union, antislavery rhetoric was initially modeled by Abraham Lincoln (who always scores first place in this survey). Petula Dvorak, Washington Post, 20 Feb. 2018 In 1730s Philadelphia, one Quaker's antislavery agitation cost him dearly. Joe Smydo, Philly.com, 5 Nov. 2017 Its original Presbyterian congregation was fervently antislavery and was composed of some of the area’s most prominent citizens. Patti Nickell, Philly.com, 6 Oct. 2017

Word History

First Known Use

1811, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of antislavery was in 1811

Dictionary Entries Near antislavery

Cite this Entry

“Antislavery.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/antislavery. Accessed 14 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

antislavery

adjective
an·​ti·​slav·​ery
ˌant-i-ˈslāv-(ə-)rē,
ˌan-ˌtī-
: opposing slavery
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!