Standard Lemma guide

activist

adj · noun · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • US: /ˈæk.tɪ.vɪst/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: AE1 K T AH0 V AH0 S T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 2: AE1 K T IH0 V IH0 S T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Behaving as an activist.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

One who is politically active in the role of a citizen; especially, one who campaigns for change.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

One who is conspicuously active in carrying out any occupational or professional functions.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adjective satellite

Meaning 4

advocating or engaged in activism

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: activistic

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

a militant reformer

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: militant

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: reformer, reformist, crusader, social reformer, meliorist

Narrower terms: Black Muslim, Black Panther, Malcolm X, Malcolm Little

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h2eǵ- Proto-Indo-European *-eti Proto-Indo-European *h2éǵeti Proto-Italic *agō Latin agō Proto-Indo-European *-wós Proto-Indo-European *-iHwósder. Latin -īvus ▲ Ancient Greek ἐνεργητῐκός (energētĭkós)sl. Latin āctīvusbor. Old French actifbor. Middle English actyf English active Proto-Indo-European *-id- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti Proto-Hellenic *-íďďō Ancient Greek -ῐ́ζω (-ĭ́zō) Proto-Hellenic *-tās Ancient Greek -τής (-tḗs) Ancient Greek -ῐστής (-ĭstḗs)bor. Latin -istader. Old French -istebor. Middle English -ist English -ist English activist From active + -ist.

Across languages

Translations

102 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: نَاشِط (nāšiṭ) — one who is politically active
  • Arabic: نَاشِطَة (nāšiṭa) — one who is politically active
  • Armenian: ակտիվիստ (aktivist) — one who is politically active
  • Balinese: aktivis — one who is politically active
  • Belarusian: актыві́ст (aktyvíst) — one who is politically active
  • Belarusian: актыві́стка (aktyvístka) — one who is politically active
  • Breton: stourmer — one who is politically active
  • Breton: stourmerez — one who is politically active
  • Bulgarian: активи́ст (aktivíst) — one who is politically active
  • Bulgarian: активи́стка (aktivístka) — one who is politically active
  • Catalan: activista — one who is politically active
  • Chechen: жигархо (žigarxo) — one who is politically active
  • Chinese Cantonese: 鬥士 /斗士 (dau3 si6) — one who is politically active
  • Chinese Cantonese: 運動家 /运动家 — one who is politically active
  • Chinese Cantonese: 活動家 /活动家 (wut6 dung6 gaa1) — one who is politically active
  • Chinese Cantonese: 活動人士 /活动人士 (wut6 dung6 jan4 si6) — one who is politically active
  • Chinese Cantonese: 活躍份子 /活跃份子 (wut6 joek3 fan6 zi2) — one who is politically active
  • Chinese Mandarin: 活躍分子 /活跃分子 (huóyuè fènzǐ) — one who is politically active
  • Chinese Mandarin: 活動分子 /活动分子 (huódòng fènzǐ) — one who is politically active
  • Chinese Mandarin: 活動家 /活动家 (huódòngjiā) — one who is politically active
  • Chinese Mandarin: 積極分子 /积极分子 (jījí fènzǐ) — one who is politically active
  • Min Nan Chinese: 積極份子 /积极份子 (chek-ke̍k hun-chú) — one who is politically active
  • Czech: aktivista — one who is politically active
  • Czech: aktivistka — one who is politically active
  • Danish: aktivist — one who is politically active
  • Dutch: activist — one who is politically active
  • Dutch: activiste — one who is politically active
  • Esperanto: aktivulo — one who is politically active
  • Estonian: aktivist — one who is politically active
  • Finnish: aktivisti — one who is politically active
  • French: militant — one who is politically active
  • French: militante — one who is politically active
  • French: activiste — one who is politically active
  • West-Frisian: aktivist — one who is politically active
  • West-Frisian: aktiviste — one who is politically active
  • Galician: activista — one who is politically active
  • Georgian: აქტივისტი (akṭivisṭi) — one who is politically active
  • German: Aktivist — one who is politically active
  • German: Aktivistin — one who is politically active
  • Bavarian German: Aktivist — one who is politically active
  • Bavarian German: Aktivistin — one who is politically active
  • Greek: ακτιβιστής (aktivistís) — one who is politically active
  • Hebrew: פָּעִיל (pa'íl) — one who is politically active
  • Hebrew: פְּעִילָה (pe'ilá) — one who is politically active
  • Hindi: कार्यकर्ता (kāryakartā) — one who is politically active
  • Hungarian: aktivista — one who is politically active
  • Icelandic: aðgerðasinni — one who is politically active
  • Ido: aktivisto — one who is politically active
  • Indonesian: aktivis — one who is politically active
  • Irish: gníomhaí — one who is politically active
  • Italian: attivista — one who is politically active
  • Japanese: 活動家 (katsudōka) — one who is politically active
  • Javanese: aktivis — one who is politically active
  • Kazakh: белсенді (belsendı) — one who is politically active
  • Korean: 활동가 (hwaldongga) — one who is politically active
  • Macedonian: активи́ст (aktivíst) — one who is politically active
  • Macedonian: активи́стка (aktivístka) — one who is politically active
  • Māori: kaiwhakatūtū — one who is politically active
  • Māori: kiritohe — one who is politically active
  • Marathi: कार्यकर्ता (kāryakartā) — one who is politically active
  • Minangkabau: aktivis — one who is politically active
  • Norman: activiste — one who is politically active
  • Occitan: activista — one who is politically active
  • Persian: فعال (fa'âl) — one who is politically active
  • Polish: aktywista — one who is politically active
  • Polish: aktywistka — one who is politically active
  • Polish: działacz — one who is politically active
  • Polish: działaczka — one who is politically active
  • Portuguese: ativista — one who is politically active
  • Romanian: activist — one who is politically active
  • Romanian: activistă — one who is politically active
  • Russian: активи́ст (aktivíst) — one who is politically active
  • Russian: активи́стка (aktivístka) — one who is politically active
  • Scottish Gaelic: neach-dèanadais — one who is politically active
  • Scottish Gaelic: iomairtiche — one who is politically active
  • Scottish Gaelic: neach-iomairt — one who is politically active
  • Serbo-Croatian: актѝвист — one who is politically active
  • Serbo-Croatian: активиста — one who is politically active
  • Serbo-Croatian: актѝвистица — one who is politically active
  • Serbo-Croatian: aktìvist — one who is politically active
  • Serbo-Croatian: aktivista — one who is politically active
  • Serbo-Croatian: aktìvistica — one who is politically active
  • Slovak: aktivista — one who is politically active
  • Slovak: aktivistka — one who is politically active
  • Slovene: aktivist — one who is politically active
  • Slovene: aktivistka — one who is politically active
  • Spanish: activista — one who is politically active
  • Sundanese: aktivis — one who is politically active
  • Swahili: mwanaharakati — one who is politically active
  • Swedish: aktivist — one who is politically active
  • Thai: นักประท้วง (nák-bprà-túuang) — one who is politically active
  • Turkish: eylemci — one who is politically active
  • Turkish: etkinci — one who is politically active
  • Turkish: aktivist — one who is politically active
  • Ukrainian: активі́ст (aktyvíst) — one who is politically active
  • Ukrainian: активі́стка (aktyvístka) — one who is politically active
  • Vietnamese: phần tử tích cực — one who is politically active
  • Welsh: ymgyrchydd — one who is politically active
  • Welsh: ymgyrchwraig — one who is politically active
  • Welsh: ymgyrchwr — one who is politically active
  • Yiddish: אַקטיוויסט (aktivist) — one who is politically active
  • Yiddish: אַקטיוויסטין (aktivistin) — one who is politically active
Real reading context

activist in complete knowledge articles