What does socialist mean?
Socialist is an adjective and noun associated with socialism, a diverse family of political and economic ideas that generally favor collective or public control of resources, greater social equality, and the welfare of the community. As an adjective, it describes a person, party, policy, or theory connected with those ideas. As a noun, it means a person who supports socialism or belongs to a socialist movement. The word has no single universal political meaning: different socialist traditions may support public ownership, regulated markets, strong social programs, or other forms of economic planning, and socialist parties can be considerably more moderate than communist movements. In everyday discussion, the term can therefore be either descriptive or polemical, depending on the speaker and political setting. Even so, socialist remains a useful label for identifying political commitments that place collective or social interests at the center of economic organization.
Relating to or advocating socialism, especially collective or public control of economic resources and the promotion of social equality.
"The government introduced a socialist program to expand public housing."
The adjective is chiefly political and can describe governments, parties, policies, movements, and theories.
A person who supports socialism or is a member of a socialist political movement.
"Many socialists joined the rally to call for greater workplace protections."
As a noun, socialist commonly refers to an adherent of a socialist party or movement rather than merely someone who favors a particular social policy.
The regular plural of the noun is socialists.
"Electoral campaigns often pit socialists against candidates from more conservative parties."
The label 'socialist' is remarkably broad: it can describe parties and policies that differ greatly, from social democracy to more far-reaching forms of economic collectivism.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does socialist come from?
Socialist was formed in English from socialism plus the suffix -ist, meaning a supporter or adherent. Socialism comes from French socialisme, which developed from Latin socialis, meaning “pertaining to society” or “sociable,” ultimately from socius, meaning “companion,” “ally,” or “one associated with another.” English cognates including social, society, societal, and sociology share this Latin foundation.
Related word forms
How socialist is actually used
Socialist is usually a formal political term and may be mildly confrontational when used by opponents of the ideology. In British and other European political contexts, it often refers to parties more moderate than communist ones, though its meaning depends heavily on context. The standard pronunciation is /ˈsoʊʃəlɪst/ in American English and /ˈsəʊʃəlɪst/ in British English.
Easily confused with socialist
Social refers to society, relationships, or communal life in general, whereas socialist specifically relates to the political and economic ideology of socialism.