capitalist

American  

[kap-i-tl-ist] / ˈkæp ɪ tl ɪst /

noun

1. a person who has capital, especially extensive capital, invested in business enterprises.

2. an advocate of capitalism.

3. a very wealthy person.

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capitalist British  

/ ˈkæpɪtəlɪst /

noun

1. a person who owns capital, esp capital invested in a business

2. politics a supporter of capitalism

3. informal a rich person

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adjective

1. of or relating to capital, capitalists, or capitalism

Other Word Forms

• anticapitalist noun
• capitalistic adjective
• noncapitalist noun
• precapitalist noun
• procapitalist noun

Etymology

Origin of capitalist

First recorded in 1785–95; capital ¹ + -ist

Example Sentences

SVB banked tech giants and venture capitalists, resulting in a wild balance sheet with extraordinary levels of uninsured deposits.

From Barron's

Housing has captured the attention of policymakers on both sides of the aisle, Miller noted—though a practical “capitalist framework” for easing home affordability woes has yet to materialize, he said.

From Barron's

Such is the life of the teenage venture capitalist at the Harker School in Silicon Valley.

From The Wall Street Journal

Venture capitalists said most of the money for U.S. dollar-denominated funds this year was coming from Europe, the Middle East and the rest of Asia.

From The Wall Street Journal

This coincided with the rise of private markets, as venture capitalists poured more money into the most promising startups, while private-equity firms sought to take more mature companies private.

From MarketWatch

Related Words

• banker
• entrepreneur
• financier