: belief in and advocacy of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes expressed especially through organized activity on behalf of women's rights and interests
… feminism began in the late 1840s with the campaign for women's suffrage in America. The second wave came in the 1960s with the call for women's "liberation" and equality under the law. A third wave in the 1990s was more rebellious than reformist, more anarchically individualistic than disciplined and legalistic. Some think we are in the midst of a fourth wave, sustained by the internet and social media …—The Economist (London)

Examples of feminism in a Sentence

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The second episode will examine her interventions on Scottish independence, feminism, free speech, and gender identity, which place her at the heart of increasingly bitter online exchanges. — Jake Kanter, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026 Still, there’s something compelling about Romero’s directing and his, for the time, boldly progressive take on feminism. — Terrence O'Brien, The Verge, 11 Oct. 2026 In 2023, Sánchez managed to beat the polling forecasts by rallying his voters on fears of what might happen under a government that includes Vox, which rails against migration and feminism and denies climate change. — ABC News, 6 Oct. 2026 Pro-natalist conservatives have cited the decrease in women deciding to have children as a kind of modern self-absorption and evidence of the failures of feminism. — Ian Crouch, New Yorker, 24 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for feminism

Word History

Etymology

see feminine entry 1

First Known Use

1893, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of feminism was in 1893

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Cite this Entry

“Feminism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/feminism. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Kids Definition

1
: the theory supporting the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes
2
: organized activity on behalf of women's rights and interests
feminist noun or adjective

Medical Definition

: the presence of female characteristics in males

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