survivalist

noun

sur·​viv·​al·​ist sər-ˈvī-və-list How to pronounce survivalist (audio)
: a person who advocates or practices survivalism
especially : one who has prepared to survive in the anarchy of an anticipated breakdown of society
survivalist adjective

Examples of survivalist 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.
Cruz plays the wife whose disillusionment becomes the story’s emotional core, opposite Bardem as an architect drawn into building a survivalist bunker for a reclusive tech billionaire. — Clayton Davis, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026 The fun starts when the survivalist receives a call from Randy (Chris Lee) in the teaser, which sends him out on his next job. — Sabienna Bowman, PEOPLE, 3 Sep. 2026 Bardem plays Miguel, a successful London architect, who considers a prestigious offer to build a survivalist bunker for a tech billionaire. — Diana Lodderhose, Deadline, 2 Sep. 2026 The loneliness of the long-distance grieving survivalist is the main preoccupation of The Dog Stars, Ridley Scott’s moody, surprisingly sensitive adaptation of Scott Heller’s 2012 novel. — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 28 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for survivalist

Word History

First Known Use

1950, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of survivalist was in 1950

Rhymes for survivalist

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Browse Nearby Words

survivalism
survivalist
survival kit
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Cite this Entry

“Survivalist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/survivalist. Accessed 7 Sep. 2026.

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