Standard Lemma guide

capitalist

adj · noun · 10 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.

  • /ˈkæp.ɪ.tə.lɪst/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: K AE1 P AH0 T AH0 L IH0 S T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Of, or pertaining to, capitalism.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • capitalist economy
  • capitalist countries

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Supporting or endorsing capitalism.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

American.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: nonstandard

Qualifier: especially during the Cold War

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

The owner of a considerable amount of capital; a wealthy person.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

Someone whose wealth (capital) is invested in business ventures in order to return a profit.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Near-synonyms: businessman, financier, industrialist

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: businessman, financier, industrialist

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

A person who is a supporter of capitalism.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: economic liberal, free enterpriser, liberal

Antonyms: none provided

7

adjective

Meaning 7

favoring or practicing capitalism

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: capitalistic

Antonyms: none provided

8

adjective

Meaning 8

of or relating to capitalism or capitalists

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a capitalist nation
  • capitalistic methods and incentives

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: capitalistic

Antonyms: none provided

9

noun

Meaning 9

a person who invests capital in a business (especially a large business)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: person, individual, someone, somebody, mortal, soul

Narrower terms: businessperson, bourgeois, financier, moneyman, holder, bearer, investor, materialist, moneymaker, profiteer, Astor, John Jacob Astor

10

noun

Meaning 10

a conservative advocate of capitalism

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: conservative, conservativist

History

Etymology

Etymology tree substratebor.? Proto-Indo-European *kap-? Proto-Indo-European *kap- Proto-Indo-European *káput Proto-Italic *kaput Latin caput Proto-Indo-European *h2el-der.? Proto-Italic *-ālis Latin -ālis Latin capitālisbor. Old French capitalbor. Middle English capital English capital 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 ▲ French capitalistecalq. English capitalist From capital + -ist. Calque of French capitaliste.

Across languages

Translations

108 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: կապիտալիստական (kapitalistakan) — supporting or endorsing capitalism
  • Belarusian: капіталісты́чны (kapitalistýčny) — supporting or endorsing capitalism
  • Catalan: capitalista — supporting or endorsing capitalism
  • Czech: kapitalistický — supporting or endorsing capitalism
  • Danish: kapitalistisk — supporting or endorsing capitalism
  • Dutch: kapitalistisch — supporting or endorsing capitalism
  • Esperanto: kapitalisma — supporting or endorsing capitalism
  • Finnish: kapitalistinen — supporting or endorsing capitalism
  • Finnish: porvarillinen — supporting or endorsing capitalism
  • French: capitaliste — supporting or endorsing capitalism
  • German: kapitalistisch — supporting or endorsing capitalism
  • Greek: καπιταλιστής (kapitalistís) — supporting or endorsing capitalism
  • Greek: καπιταλίστρια (kapitalístria) — supporting or endorsing capitalism
  • Hindi: पूंजीपति (pūñjīpti) — supporting or endorsing capitalism
  • Ingrian: kapitalisticeskoi — supporting or endorsing capitalism
  • Irish: rachmasaíoch — supporting or endorsing capitalism
  • Irish: caipitlíoch — supporting or endorsing capitalism
  • Italian: capitalistico — supporting or endorsing capitalism
  • Italian: capitalista — supporting or endorsing capitalism
  • Macedonian: капиталистички (kapitalistički) — supporting or endorsing capitalism
  • Manx: bun-argidagh — supporting or endorsing capitalism
  • Māori: angahaorawa — supporting or endorsing capitalism
  • Marathi: भांडवलशाही (bhāṇḍvalśāhī) — supporting or endorsing capitalism
  • Norwegian Bokmål: kapitalistisk — supporting or endorsing capitalism
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: kapitalistisk — supporting or endorsing capitalism
  • Polish: kapitalistyczny — supporting or endorsing capitalism
  • Portuguese: capitalista — supporting or endorsing capitalism
  • Punjabi: ਸਰਮਾਏਦਾਰ (sarmāēdār) — supporting or endorsing capitalism
  • Punjabi: سرمائےدار (srmā'edār) — supporting or endorsing capitalism
  • Romanian: capitalist — supporting or endorsing capitalism
  • Russian: капиталисти́ческий (kapitalistíčeskij) — supporting or endorsing capitalism
  • Scottish Gaelic: calpach — supporting or endorsing capitalism
  • Spanish: capitalista — supporting or endorsing capitalism
  • Swedish: kapitalistisk — supporting or endorsing capitalism
  • Turkish: kapitalist — supporting or endorsing capitalism
  • Ukrainian: капіталісти́чний (kapitalistýčnyj) — supporting or endorsing capitalism
  • Urdu: سرمایہ دار (sarmāya dār) — supporting or endorsing capitalism
  • Urdu: سرمایہ دارنی (sarmāya dārnī) — supporting or endorsing capitalism
  • Volapük: katädimik — supporting or endorsing capitalism
  • Yiddish: קאַפּיטאַליסטיש (kapitalistish) — supporting or endorsing capitalism
  • Crimean Tatar: kapitalist — supporter of capitalism
  • Danish: kapitalist — supporter of capitalism
  • Dutch: kapitalist — supporter of capitalism
  • Dutch: kapitaliste — supporter of capitalism
  • Finnish: kapitalisti — supporter of capitalism
  • Finnish: porvari — supporter of capitalism
  • French: capitaliste — supporter of capitalism
  • German: Kapitalist — supporter of capitalism
  • German: Kapitalistin — supporter of capitalism
  • Hindi: पूंजीवादी (pūñjīvādī) — supporter of capitalism
  • Indonesian: kapitalis — supporter of capitalism
  • Irish: rachmasaí — supporter of capitalism
  • Irish: caipitlí — supporter of capitalism
  • Italian: capitalista — supporter of capitalism
  • Macedonian: капитали́ст (kapitalíst) — supporter of capitalism
  • Malay: kapitalis — supporter of capitalism
  • Manx: bun-argidagh — supporter of capitalism
  • Portuguese: capitalista — supporter of capitalism
  • Portuguese: capitalista — supporter of capitalism
  • Punjabi: ਪੂੰਜੀਵਾਦੀ (pūñjīvādī) — supporter of capitalism
  • Romanian: capitalist — supporter of capitalism
  • Romanian: capitalistă — supporter of capitalism
  • Russian: капитали́ст (kapitalíst) — supporter of capitalism
  • Scottish Gaelic: calpaire — supporter of capitalism
  • Slovene: kapitalist — supporter of capitalism
  • Swahili: bepari — supporter of capitalism
  • Swedish: kapitalist — supporter of capitalism
  • Thai: นักทุนนิยม — supporter of capitalism
  • Turkish: kapitalist — supporter of capitalism
  • Volapük: katädiman — supporter of capitalism
  • Volapük: hikatädiman — supporter of capitalism
  • Volapük: jikatädiman — supporter of capitalism
  • Yiddish: קאַפּיטאַליסט (kapitalist) — supporter of capitalism
  • Azerbaijani: sərmayəçi — owner of capital
  • Chinese Mandarin: 資本家 /资本家 (zīběnjiā) — owner of capital
  • Czech: kapitalista — owner of capital
  • Danish: kapitalist — owner of capital
  • Dutch: kapitalist — owner of capital
  • Finnish: kapitalisti — owner of capital
  • German: Kapitalist — owner of capital
  • German: Kapitalistin — owner of capital
  • Greek: καπιταλιστής (kapitalistís) — owner of capital
  • Greek: καπιταλίστρια (kapitalístria) — owner of capital
  • Greek: κεφαλαιοκράτης (kefalaiokrátis) — owner of capital
  • Greek: κεφαλαιοκράτισσα (kefalaiokrátissa) — owner of capital
  • Hindi: पूंजीपति (pūñjīpti) — owner of capital
  • Indonesian: kaum modal — owner of capital
  • Irish: rachmasaí — owner of capital
  • Irish: caipitlí — owner of capital
  • Japanese: 資本家 (shihonka) — owner of capital
  • Kazakh: капиталшы (kapitalşy) — owner of capital
  • Korean: 자본가 (jabon'ga) — owner of capital
  • Macedonian: капитали́ст (kapitalíst) — owner of capital
  • Marathi: भांडवलदार (bhāṇḍvaldār) — owner of capital
  • Portuguese: capitalista — owner of capital
  • Punjabi: ਪੂੰਜੀਦਾਰ (pūñjīdār) — owner of capital
  • Punjabi: ਪੂੰਜੀਪਤੀ (pūñjīptī) — owner of capital
  • Romanian: capitalist — owner of capital
  • Romanian: capitalistă — owner of capital
  • Russian: капитали́ст (kapitalíst) — owner of capital
  • Scottish Gaelic: calpaire — owner of capital
  • Slovene: kapitalist — owner of capital
  • Swahili: bepari — owner of capital
  • Swedish: kapitalist — owner of capital
  • Thai: นายทุน (naai-tun) — owner of capital
  • Volapük: katädan — owner of capital
  • Volapük: hikatädan — owner of capital
  • Volapük: jikatädan — owner of capital
Real reading context

capitalist in complete knowledge articles