Synonyms of pacifist

pacifist 1 of 2

noun

ˈpa-sə-fist 

as in dove

a person who opposes war or warlike policies

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• dove
• peacenik
• peacemaker

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• hawk
• warmonger
• jingo
• militarist
• nationalist
• chauvinist
• war hawk

pacifist

2 of 2

adjective

variants or pacifistic

as in neutral

inclined to live in peace and to avoid war

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• neutral
• peaceful
• peaceable
• pacific
• dovish
• benevolent
• nonaggressive
• quiet
• antiwar
• mild
• antimilitarist
• nonbelligerent
• unwarlike
• irenic
• amiable
• unaggressive
• calm
• serene
• kind
• gentle
• submissive
• noncombative
• tranquil
• antiviolence
• relaxed
• amicable
• kindly
• affable
• antimilitaristic
• genial
• yielding

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• warlike
• martial
• bloodthirsty
• hawkish
• militaristic
• militarist
• aggressive
• belligerent
• combative
• pugnacious
• bellicose
• hostile
• quarrelsome
• contentious
• antagonistic
• truculent
• discordant
• scrappy
• fierce
• argumentative
• gladiatorial
• hot-tempered

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of pacifist

Noun

Although tensions on the Middle East have ebbed and flowed, the successful Camp David negotiation won acclaim among Israelis and Arabs alike, who praised it as an evenhanded approach from the U.S. Carter was a peacemaker but not a pacifist, and saw the need for military strength. —Tracy Wilkinson, Los Angeles Times, 9 Jan. 2025

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

Adjective

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

Snufkin’s instruments are particularly crucial to the pacifist game’s main conflict — destroying the Park Keeper’s tidy parks. —Ashley Bardhan, Vulture, 8 Mar. 2024