anarchist

[ an-er-kist ]

noun

1. a person who advocates or believes in anarchy or anarchism.
2. a person who seeks to overturn by violence all constituted forms and institutions of society and government, with no purpose of establishing any other system of order in the place of that destroyed.
3. a person who promotes disorder or excites revolt against any established rule, law, or custom.

anarchist

/ ˈænəkɪst /

noun

1. a person who advocates the abolition of government and a social system based on voluntary cooperation
2. a person who causes disorder or upheaval

Derived Forms

• ˌanarˈchistic, adjective

Other Words From

• anar·chistic adjective
• nonan·ar·chistic adjective
• pseudo·anar·chistic adjective
• semi·anar·chist noun
• semi·anar·chistic adjective
• unan·ar·chistic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of anarchist¹

First recorded in 1670–80; anarch(y) + -ist

Example Sentences

The crowd was not huge, but it was diverse, including supporters of Alexei Navalny alongside anarchists and young men recruiting people to go and fight for Ukraine.

From BBC

We had the anarchist bombings of the 1970s and other periods of unrest.

From Los Angeles Times

Kushner's Creation Lake is a spy thriller which sees an American woman infiltrate a radical anarchist collective in rural France.

From BBC

In small towns around the country, these rumors took off that the big city anarchists were coming into the small communities to burn them down.

From Salon

Outside of the fluttering romance plot and teen hijinks, Kat’s anarchist vibe was bitingly cool, self-assured and unyielding in her feminism and beliefs.

From Salon

Related Words

• agitator
• anarch
• revolutionary