Liberal Dictionary English Dictionary
noun
- an advocate or supporter of socialism.
- (initial capital letter) a member of the U.S. Socialist party.
adjective
- socialistic.
noun
- a supporter or advocate of socialism or any party promoting socialism (socialist party)
adjective
- of, characteristic of, implementing, or relating to socialism
- (sometimes capital) of, characteristic of, or relating to socialists or a socialist party
n.“one who advocates socialism,” 1827, from French socialiste, or else a native formation based on it, in reference to the teachings of Comte de Saint-Simon, founder of French socialism. The word begins to be used in French in the modern sense c.1835. Socialista, with a different sense, was applied 18c. to followers and pupils of Dutch jurist Grotius (1583-1645), from his use of socialistus. Socialist realism attested from 1934. I find that socialism is often misunderstood by its least intelligent supporters and opponents to mean simply unrestrained indulgence of our natural propensity to heave bricks at respectable persons. [George Bernard Shaw, “An Unsocial Socialist,” 1900] Prison is a Socialist’s Paradise, where equality prevails, everything is supplied and competition is eliminated. [Elbert Hubbard, “The Note Book,” 1927]