communist

noun

com·​mu·​nist ˈkäm-yə-nist 

-yü-

1

: an adherent or advocate of communism

2

capitalized : communard

3

a

capitalized : a member of a Communist party or movement

b

often capitalized : an adherent or advocate of a Communist government, party, or movement

4

often capitalized : one held to engage in left-wing, subversive, or revolutionary activities

communist adjective often capitalized

communistic

ˌkäm-yə-ˈni-stik 

-yü-

adjective often capitalized

communistically

ˌkäm-yə-ˈni-sti-k(ə-)lē 

-yü-

adverb

Synonyms

• commie
• comrade
• Red
• socialist

Examples of communist in a Sentence

communists were plotting an overthrow of the government

Recent Examples on the Web

In the late 1940s and 1950s, Sen. Joseph McCarthy unleashed a political witch hunt to root out US college professors labeled as communists. —Ray Sanchez, CNN, 21 Mar. 2025

The statement also employed a common far-right misrepresentation of Hitler, who in fact privatized much of the government, outlawed labor unions and ordered the killing of hundreds of thousands of people presumed to be socialists and communists. —Carlo Angerer, NBC News, 9 Mar. 2025

The legal historian points to the McCarthy era of the 1950s that targeted communists, real and suspected. —Nate Iglehart, The Christian Science Monitor, 12 Mar. 2025

Georgi Markov, a novelist and playwright, defected in 1969 from his native Bulgaria which was then ruled by communists. —Michael Loria, USA TODAY, 8 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

see communism

First Known Use

1840, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing communist

• anti-communist

Rhymes for communist

• anticommunist

Kids Definition

communist

noun

com·​mu·​nist ˈkäm-yə-nəst 

1

: a person who believes in communism

2

capitalized : a member or follower of a Communist party or movement

communist adjective often capitalized

communistic

ˌkäm-yə-ˈnis-tik 

adjective often capitalized