Popularist

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person who advocates for policies or ideas designed to appeal to ordinary people, especially by opposing elite or establishment interests
2. An individual who promotes the interests of the common populace while challenging the authority of elites or established institutions
3. A figure who seeks to represent and prioritize the concerns of everyday citizens against the backdrop of elite influence and dominance

Etymology: "Popularist" is built from "popular" plus the suffix "-ist," which in English marks a person who follows or champions a particular cause or doctrine. Put together, the word names someone who sets themselves up as the champion of ordinary people against the established elite. The suffix does the work here: "popular" describes the people and the cause, while "-ist" turns the pairing into a label for the person who embodies it. The pattern is familiar from words like "socialist" or "populist," which share the same ending and the same sense of an advocate for a principle. Because the base word "popular" has long carried both the idea of what is liked by many and the idea of what belongs to the common people, a "popularist" can be read as a champion of the latter sense as much as the former.

Synonyms: populist, advocate, supporter

Antonyms: elitist, naysayer