accommodationist

[ uh-kom-uh-dey-shuh-nist ]

noun

1. a person who finds it expedient to adapt to the opinions or behavior of the majority of people, especially as a means of economic or political survival.

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of such a person:

   They criticized the senator's conduct as being accommodationist.

Word History and Origins

Origin of accommodationist¹

First recorded in 1960–65; accommodation + -ist

Example Sentences

I did whole drafts of the film where I made the magical society true villains, and I said, ‘Get thee away from me’ to this integrationist, accommodationist point of view, but I just find that so disrespectful to my ancestors.

From New York Times

But I think in the Black community it is radioactively embarrassing to say anyone in our community has ever done anything accommodationist.

From New York Times

The African National Congress, the party he led, is often accused of corruption, and a feeling remains, particularly among young South Africans, that Mandela may have been too accommodationist with white leaders.

From New York Times

So folks like Derrick Bell and Kimberlé Crenshaw looked at the law and saw that there were parts of it that were very accommodationist.

From Salon

“He was known as an accommodationist, not as a civil rights rabble-rouser.”

From Washington Post