Pacificist

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person who opposes war and violence as a way to resolve disputes and advocates for peaceful solutions and non-violent methods of conflict resolution
2. Someone committed to the belief that all conflicts should be addressed without aggression or fighting, supporting diplomatic and peaceful measures to maintain harmony
3. An individual who rejects the use of force or military action, promoting peaceful coexistence and reconciliation as the primary means to solve disagreements

Etymology: "Pacificist" is built from "pacific," which comes from Latin "pacificus," meaning "peace-making," itself from "pax" (peace) and "facere" (to make). The suffix "-ist" marks a person who adheres to a doctrine or practice, so a pacificist is someone who holds to peace as a principle. The pattern is a familiar one: English has long turned adjectives of this kind into names for believers, as with "socialist" or "realist." Here the doctrine is opposition to war and force as a way of settling disputes, which gives the word its specific sense beyond simply being peaceful.

Synonyms: peacemaker, pacifist

Antonyms: warmonger, aggressor, militant