Anticapitalist

Part of speech: noun, adjective

Definitions

1. A person who opposes or rejects the economic system based on private ownership of productive resources and capital accumulation for profit
2. An individual who stands against the framework promoting private ownership and profit accumulation while advocating for alternatives to capitalism
3. A person who contests the principles of a system prioritizing private property and profit, promoting instead different economic structures that seek social equity and communal ownership

Etymology: "Anticapitalist" is a plain compound: the prefix "anti-", from Greek "anti" meaning "against", attached to "capitalist". The prefix is the older and more widely shared part of the word, appearing in countless English formations such as "antiwar" and "antifascist", while "capitalist" carries the actual weight of the meaning. Together they name someone opposed to the capitalist system rather than merely a person who dislikes a particular company or policy. The word works as both a noun and an adjective, and the adjective use is the more common of the two in practice, describing movements, arguments or publications ("anticapitalist protesters", "an anticapitalist critique"). The noun gives a name to the people who hold such views, in the same way "capitalist" names those who support the system.

Synonyms: socialist, communist, leftist, radical, revolutionary

Antonyms: capitalist, free marketeer, entrepreneur