ENGLISH
REFERENCE

abolitionists

n.
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˌæbəˈɫɪʃənəsts// UK //ˌæbəlˈɪʃənˌɪsts// abo·li·tion·ists

n. people who want to end a system or practice, especially the system of slavery. They work to make something illegal or to stop it from happening at all.

n. individuals who advocate for the complete elimination of a specific institution or practice, most notably the institution of slavery. Often used in historical contexts to describe those who campaigned for the end of human bondage.


SIMPLE

The abolitionists worked hard to end the slave trade.

CONTEXTUAL

During the nineteenth century, abolitionists in the United States faced significant opposition as they pushed for the legal end of slavery.

COMPLEX

The movement was led by passionate abolitionists who argued that the moral cost of slavery outweighed any economic benefits, eventually leading to the passage of the Emancipation Proclamation.

Synonyms

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