communist
Americannoun
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(initial capital letter) a member of the Communist Party or movement.
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an advocate of communism.
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a person who is regarded as supporting politically leftist or subversive causes.
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(usually initial capital letter) a Communard.
adjective
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(initial capital letter) of or relating to the Communist Party or to Communism.
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pertaining to communists or communism.
noun
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a supporter of any form of communism
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(often capital) a supporter of Communism or a Communist movement or state
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(often capital) a member of a Communist party
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(often capital) any person holding left-wing views, esp when considered subversive
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a person who practises communal living; communalist
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another name for Communard
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of communist
From the French word communiste, dating back to 1835–45. See common, -ist
Explanation
Communism is a political doctrine that is an extreme form of Socialism, and anyone belonging to this particular political party is called a communist. A handful of countries call themselves communist, including China, Cuba, and North Korea — though many communists would disagree. We can find the roots of the word communist in the Latin communis, meaning "common" or "shared." These meanings certainly apply to the ideal version of Communism, which means that everyone is equal, and no one has more than anyone else. It was first used in English as both a noun and an adjective in 1841, taken from the French communiste. In the mid-20th Century, division between the U.S. and its allies and those that were Communist formed what became the “Cold War.”
Vocabulary lists containing communist
Inside Out & Back Again
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Maus I: My Father Bleeds History
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Eastern Europe - Middle School and High School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel on Friday announced greater freedoms for small businesses across the country, as the communist government takes steps to liberalize the island's economy in the face of a crippling US blockade.
From Barron's • Jun. 12, 2026
The essential thing to understand about Mr. Putin, she begins, is that he isn’t a Marxist or a communist or even a defender of Leninism or Stalinism.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026
Rubio, born of Cuban parents in Florida, was asked at a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing about the possibility of finding interlocutors within Cuba's communist regime.
From Barron's • Jun. 3, 2026
HMS Amethyst was caught up in fighting between nationalist and communist forces on the River Yangtze in April 1949.
From BBC • May 29, 2026
Based on what he’d seen in Vietnam, Ellsberg explained, most people were neither communist nor strongly anti-communist.
From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
