Meaning & use
secessionist
Last updated
A person who advocates or supports the formal withdrawal of a region or group from a larger political union.
See it in a sentence
Secessionists in the region called for an independence referendum.
Historians study the rhetoric secessionists used to justify leaving the union.
A note on using this word
Rooted in secession, from Latin secedere (to withdraw); the term is strongly associated with the American Civil War era but applies globally.
Words with a similar meaning
separatist
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
unionistloyalist
Another way to use it
2. adjective
Relating to or advocating secession.
The state passed several secessionist resolutions before the war began.
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