as in dove
a person who opposes war or warlike policies
a committed pacifist, Gandhi succeeded in bringing about Indian independence using only nonviolence
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
variants
or pacifistic
as in pacific
inclined to live in peace and to avoid war
the newspaper's editorial board has clearly staked out a pacifist position on the current conflict
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pacifist
Guy Lodge, Variety, 21 Nov. 2025
Also in 1968, Blais worked as an assistant director on Straight to the Heart, a dramedy by Jean-Pierre Lefebvre that starred musician-actor Robert Charlebois as a pacifist brainwashed by mysterious authorities to embrace war.
—Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 4 Nov. 2025
Mari Yamaguchi, Fortune, 19 Feb. 2026
Takaichi has pledged to revise security and defense policies by December to bolster Japan's military capabilities, lifting a ban on lethal weapons exports and moving further away from postwar pacifist principles.
—Arkansas Online, 19 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pacifist
Noun
All voiceover in the film is detached from the images, from a mixture of unidentified community folk who are content to speak anonymously, and neighboring outsiders perplexed by these out-of-time pacifists.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 21 Nov. 2025
Also in 1968, Blais worked as an assistant director on Straight to the Heart, a dramedy by Jean-Pierre Lefebvre that starred musician-actor Robert Charlebois as a pacifist brainwashed by mysterious authorities to embrace war.
—Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
Takaichi has pledged to revise security and defense policies by December to bolster Japan’s military capabilities, lifting a ban on lethal weapons exports and moving further away from postwar pacifist principles.
—Mari Yamaguchi, Fortune, 19 Feb. 2026
Takaichi has pledged to revise security and defense policies by December to bolster Japan's military capabilities, lifting a ban on lethal weapons exports and moving further away from postwar pacifist principles.
—Arkansas Online, 19 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pacifist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pacifist
Noun
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Today a wooden plaque gives the name of the former Tschikof residence in Gothic script as Urch, a word that has no particular meaning in German, under a carving of a bird that resembles a dove.—
Simon Akam,
Vanity Fair,
2 Apr. 2026
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The Fed’s Powell is not a dove.—
Jim Edwards,
Fortune,
1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Olivier tried successfully to get the reader to understand how a gentle, pacific young man could come to kill more than a thousand people, and so capturing the tone and empathetic portrayal not only of Simo Häyhä and his colleagues but also of the often-bewildered Russian soldiers was essential.—
Erik Pedersen,
Oc Register,
30 Jan. 2026
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Courtesy: Apple Apple on Tuesday sent invites to the media and analysts for a launch event at its campus on September 9 at 10 A.M pacific time.—
Kif Leswing,
CNBC,
26 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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While there seems to have been a relatively peaceful dynamic inside the SAG-AFTRA building over the past few weeks, the same cannot be said for things outside on Wilshire Blvd where the WGA West‘s staff has been picketing the writers’ negotiations amid a seven-week strike.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
4 Apr. 2026
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The ranch-style retreat backs up to the Wekiva River, offering a peaceful, scenic escape.—
Patrick Connolly,
The Orlando Sentinel,
3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Fewer qubits, faster future The researchers tackled this problem using neutral atom systems, where atoms act as qubits and are arranged using laser beams known as optical tweezers.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
1 Apr. 2026
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Pair it with matching black or nude heels for a neutral color scheme, or use your shoes to make a statement with a pop of color in a spring wedding guest look.—
Caley Sturgill,
Southern Living,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pacifist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pacifist. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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