maximalist

American  

[mak-suh-muh-list] / ˈmæk sə mə lɪst /

noun

1. a person who favors a radical and immediate approach to the achievement of a set of goals or the completion of a program.

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Maximalist ¹ British  

/ ˈmæksɪməlɪst /

noun

1. a member of the radical faction of Social Revolutionaries that supported terrorism against the tsarist regime and advocated a short period of postrevolutionary working-class dictatorship

2. a less common name for a Bolshevik

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maximalist ² British  

/ ˈmæksɪməlɪst /

noun

1. a person who favours direct action to achieve all his goals and rejects compromise

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Etymology

Origin of maximalist

< Russian maksimalíst, coinage originally applied in 1906 to an extreme splinter group of the Russian Socialist-Revolutionary party; maximal, -ist

Example Sentences

Her concurrence is too cryptic, though, to be of much use to lower courts trying to make sense of Gorsuch’s maximalist rhetoric.

From Slate • Mar. 31, 2026

Both sides may be issuing largely maximalist lists of irreconcilable demands but there is still a suggestion of a possible meeting in Pakistan.

From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026

If you’re looking for a maximalist egg recipe and don’t know where to start on your own, be sure to give this recipe a try.

From Salon • Mar. 21, 2026

This expansion adds more than 60,000 square feet to the museum, greatly expanding its exhibition space—an augmentation that has been put to full use for this maximalist show.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

It was an ode to the joyous, maximalist world that Arnold meticulously and affectionately built in both life and art — because for him there was no distinction, art was life.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 25, 2026