fascist

1 of 2

noun

fas·​cist ˈfa-shist How to pronounce fascist (audio)
also ˈfa-sist
plural fascists
1
or Fascist plural Fascists : a person who advocates or works to further the aims of fascism : an adherent of or participant in a populist political philosophy, movement, or regime that exalts nation and often race above the individual, that is associated with a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, and that is characterized by severe economic and social regimentation and forcible suppression of opposition
Dogmatism inevitably leads not to utopia, as Marxists and fascists alike have claimed, but to totalitarian repression.John Horgan
The continual strikes staged by the Socialists and Communists in 1919 and 1920 paved the way for the Fascists.Alexander Stille
2
: a person who exercises or attempts to exercise strong dictatorial control over others
often used informally in an exaggerated way
For, as with school-children, there is something of the fascist in most office workers: they glorify order and the discipline that enforces it, even when that discipline is arbitrarily or unjustly meted out.Mark Jones
Just as there are food fascists who would outlaw french fries and force everyone to breakfast on bran muffins, there are fishing fascists who despise the use of live bait.George Will

fascist

2 of 2

adjective

1
or Fascist : advocating or working to further the aims of fascism
a fascist leader/state
fascist movements
For those too young to get the reference, Vichy was the collaborationist regime that governed occupied France during World War II—fascist Frenchmen who did the dirty work for the Germans.William Greider
2
: exercising or attempting to exercise dictatorial control over others : behaving in an oppressive and intolerant manner
… they argued that if behavior modification were to work on humans, it would be a morally repugnant and even fascist method of forcing people to toe an official line.David H. Freedman
3
: expressing or demonstrating support for fascism
a fascist salute
fascist rhetoric

Examples of fascist in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Employing a cast of non-professional locals, the film playfully interrogates the brutal but bungled occupation while also allowing its actors — many of whom are descendants of the fascists’ victims — to reinterpret and reclaim a chapter in their city’s past. Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 15 May 2026 To add to the second-hand embarrassment, a gaudy amusement park proves a vital part of Homelander’s plan—after all, fascists and tyrants tend to have bad taste. Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 14 May 2026 Fascists haven’t gone away in the world. Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 13 May 2026 But right now Congress is being run by power-hungry fascists. Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 May 2026 Trump’s second term has proved so radical that officials from his first Administration—including a former chief of staff and a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff—have referred to him as a fascist. Peter Slevin, New Yorker, 4 May 2026 In other words, the fascists told a more riveting story. Literary Hub, 27 Apr. 2026 Critics called the manifesto fascist. Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 25 Apr. 2026
Adjective
The movie, set in Spain in 1944, is both an intoxicating work of fantasy and a grim parable of political rebellion, and its insights into the cruelties and vulnerabilities of fascist power remain undimmed. Justin Chang, New Yorker, 18 May 2026 The interesting thing about Croatia, which lies along the Adriatic Sea across from Italy, is that during World War II Croatia was a pro Hitler, pro-Nazi brutal fascist state controlled by the Ustase, who were as bad as the Nazis. Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 14 May 2026 The filmmaker said the movie, about a young girl and fascist captain in 1940s Spain, remains timely. ABC News, 12 May 2026 The film was shot in 2019, 100 years after the fascist occupation of Fiume in 1919 by Gabriele D’Annunzio. Leo Barraclough, Variety, 8 May 2026 Obviously, the German pavilion is a fascist building. Pablo Larios, Artforum, 6 May 2026 The more macho wholesome image, Robert Rundo thinks, gives young men permission to adopt his fascist philosophy. Lesley Stahl, CBS News, 3 May 2026 When a naïve piglet named Lucky (Gaten Matarazzo) rises to farmhouse leadership alongside the cunning boar Napoleon (Seth Rogen), the revolution sparked by their human farmer’s bankruptcy in the film‘s first act takes a turn for the fascist worse. Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 30 Apr. 2026 The moment comes in a scene between a pre-Gilead Lydia amid the totalitarian takeover and one of the men, Commander Judd (Charlie Carrick), who becomes a high-ranking leader in the fictional fascist government. Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 29 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

borrowed from Italian fascista, from fascio "bundle, group" + -ista -ist entry 1 — more at fascism

Adjective

derivative of fascist entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1919, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1921, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of fascist was in 1919

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Cite this Entry

“Fascist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fascist. Accessed 20 May. 2026.

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