# anarchist

/ˈænɝˌkɪst/ (US) · /ˈænɑːkˌɪst/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/anarchist
Updated: 2026-08-08

## Senses

### 1. political believer

noun · CEFR B2

someone who believes that society should be organized without a government or any form of hierarchy.

For teachers: a person who advocates for the absence of hierarchy and authority, specifically working toward a society based on voluntary cooperation rather than government.

- The anarchist argued that people could manage their own communities without a central government.
- Early twentieth-century anarchists often established small communes to demonstrate that social order could exist without state intervention.

### 2. rebel against rules

noun · CEFR B2 · Informal

a person who ignores laws and social rules because they dislike being controlled by others.

For teachers: one who disregards laws and social norms as a form of personal rebellion against authority.

- He was a bit of an anarchist at school, always finding ways to break the dress code.
- In his youth, he styled himself as a social anarchist, rejecting every convention from traditional employment to standard etiquette.

### 3. promoter of chaos

noun · CEFR C1 · Formal

someone who causes or encourages disorder and a lack of control.

For teachers: a person who promotes or causes chaos and lawlessness, often used as a pejorative by political opponents.

- The newspaper described the rioters as anarchists who only wanted to destroy property.
- The governor denounced the protesters as mere anarchists, claiming their only goal was the total subversion of public safety.

### 4. relating to anarchism

adjective · CEFR C2 · Academic · Formal

describing something that relates to the belief that there should be no government.

For teachers: relating to the principles of anarchism or the actions of anarchists.

- The group published an anarchist newspaper to share their political ideas.
- The professor analyzed the anarchist elements within the labor movement of the late nineteenth century.

## Examples

- The anarchist refused to pay taxes to the state.
- As an anarchist, he organized local food shares without any central management or paid staff.
- The movement's anarchist wing argued that true freedom could only exist in small, voluntary associations rather than under the coercive power of the state.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.