-ist

American  

1. a suffix of nouns, often corresponding to verbs ending in -ize or nouns ending in -ism, that denote a person who practices or is concerned with something, or holds certain principles, doctrines, etc..

   apologist; dramatist; machinist; novelist; realist; socialist; Thomist.

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-ist British  

suffix

1. (forming nouns) a person who performs a certain action or is concerned with something specified

   motorist

   soloist

2. (forming nouns) a person who practises in a specific field

   physicist

   typist

3. (forming nouns and adjectives) a person who advocates a particular doctrine, system, etc, or relating to such a person or the doctrine advocated

   socialist

4. (forming nouns and adjectives) a person characterized by a specified trait, tendency, etc, or relating to such a person or trait

   purist

5. (forming nouns and adjectives) a person who is prejudiced on the basis specified

   sexist

   ageist

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Etymology

Origin of -ist

Middle English -iste < Latin -ista < Greek -istēs; in some words, representing French -iste, German -ist, Italian -ista, etc., ≪ Latin < Greek, as above

Example Sentences

I feel like -ist at the end of the word is usually against something, like, racist, sexist; it’s like, negative connotations, and I think we’re past that.

From The Guardian • Jul. 14, 2018

The winding halls are filled with fantastic wall-spanning works of cubist and modernist and other -ist art, broken up by more than a few giant bronze sculptures.

From Forbes • Jun. 11, 2013

Evtushenko's party enemies have labeled him "pessimist."' "formalist," "revisionist." and every other -ist on the list save Communist, which he is, and is careful to show he is.

From Time Magazine Archive

Note.—The names of workers in the various trades and professions are formed by adding the suffix -ist to the root-word.

From Esperanto Self-Taught with Phonetic Pronunciation by Mann, William W.

To hew = hak‑i; -il denotes instrument; -ist denotes agent. 2Brother and sister.

From International Language Past, Present and Future: With Specimens of Esperanto and Grammar by Clark, Walter John