separatist

noun
sep·​a·​rat·​ist | \ ˈse-p(ə-)rə-tist How to pronounce separatist (audio) , ˈse-pə-ˌrā-\

Definition of separatist

: one that favors separatism: such as
a capitalized : one of a group of 16th and 17th century English Protestants preferring to separate from rather than to reform the Church of England
b : an advocate of independence or autonomy for a part of a political unit (such as a nation)
c : an advocate of racial or cultural separation

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Other Words from separatist

separatist adjective
separatistic \ ˌse-​p(ə-​)rə-​ˈti-​stik How to pronounce separatistic (audio) \ adjective

Examples of separatist in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

And in Canada, that trend was filtered through a specific context—the need to appease Quebec separatists. Lila Maclellan, Quartz, "Canada’s elaborate citizenship ceremonies would be indoctrination if held anywhere else," 29 Aug. 2019 Now politics in Jammu & Kashmir can either be assimilationist or separatist. Riyaz Wani, Quartz India, "With Kashmir’s autonomy gone, its pro-India political parties have lost all credibility," 27 Aug. 2019 Coalition aircraft bombed the separatists, and the Saudis demanded a ceasefire. Bobby Ghosh, The Denver Post, "Guest Commentary: The last thing Yemen needed was a second civil war," 24 Aug. 2019 Ten leaders of the most influential Anglophone separatist movement in Cameroon have been convicted. Amindeh Blaise Atabong, Quartz Africa, "Cameroon’s Anglophone separatist leaders have been jailed for life," 20 Aug. 2019 Esquerra, a Catalan separatist party abstained from today’s vote. The Economist, "Pedro Sánchez fails to form a coalition in Spain," 25 July 2019 Russia continues to back separatists in the Ukrainian provinces along the Ukrainian-Russian border, but the insurrections there have not forced big concessions from Kiev or prevented a deepening of Ukraine’s political and economic ties with Europe. Ian Bremmer, Time, "Sweeping Political Change in Ukraine Heralds Hope for the Future," 25 July 2019 In response, a vehement separatist movement still clashes with Turkish troops. Erin Blakemore, National Geographic, "Today, the Kurds are spread across four nations. Who are they?," 16 Aug. 2019 In four days of days of fighting between the southern separatists and the president's forces, 40 people were killed and 260 injured. Sarah El Sirgany, CNN, "Yemen's civil war within a civil war," 12 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'separatist.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of separatist

1608, in the meaning defined above

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More Definitions for separatist

separatist

noun

English Language Learners Definition of separatist

: a member of a group of people who want to form a new country, religion, etc., that is separate from the one they are in now

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