anarchist
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.someone who believes that society should be organized without a government or any form of hierarchy.
n.a person who advocates for the absence of hierarchy and authority, specifically working toward a society based on voluntary cooperation rather than government.
Simple“The anarchist argued that people could manage their own communities without a central government.”
In context“Early twentieth-century anarchists often established small communes to demonstrate that social order could exist without state intervention.”
SynonymsAntonymsauthoritarianstatist - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a person who ignores laws and social rules because they dislike being controlled by others.
n.one who disregards laws and social norms as a form of personal rebellion against authority.
Simple“He was a bit of an anarchist at school, always finding ways to break the dress code.”
In context“In his youth, he styled himself as a social anarchist, rejecting every convention from traditional employment to standard etiquette.”
SynonymsrebelnonconformistAntonymsconformist - 03 C1 Advanced
n.someone who causes or encourages disorder and a lack of control.
n.a person who promotes or causes chaos and lawlessness, often used as a pejorative by political opponents.
Simple“The newspaper described the rioters as anarchists who only wanted to destroy property.”
In context“The governor denounced the protesters as mere anarchists, claiming their only goal was the total subversion of public safety.”
SynonymsnihilisttroublemakerAntonymspeacemaker - 04 C2 Proficiency
adj.describing something that relates to the belief that there should be no government.
adj.relating to the principles of anarchism or the actions of anarchists.
Simple“The group published an anarchist newspaper to share their political ideas.”
In context“The professor analyzed the anarchist elements within the labor movement of the late nineteenth century.”
Synonymsanarchisticanti authoritarian
From French anarchiste, from Ancient Greek ἀναρχία (anarkhía) from the roots ἀν- (an-, “without”) + ἀρχή (arkhḗ, “rule”), equivalent to anarchy + -ist.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.