A pacifist is someone who believes that violence and war are wrong, and that conflicts should be solved peacefully.
From French *pacifiste*, from *pacifique* “peaceful,” related to Latin *pax* “peace.” The term became common in the early 20th century around debates over war.
Being a pacifist isn’t always passive; many pacifists take very active, even risky stands against war and violence. They bet on the idea that refusing to fight is sometimes the most powerful kind of resistance.
Pacifism has sometimes been feminized and dismissed as naive or weak, while militarism is masculinized and valorized. Women pacifists’ political analysis and organizing have often been trivialized as mere sentimentality.
Use ‘pacifist’ for people of any gender who oppose war or violence on principle, and avoid equating pacifism with weakness or femininity.
["advocate of nonviolence","anti-war activist"]
Highlight the central role of women and gender-diverse activists in pacifist and anti-war movements, whose intellectual and organizational work has often been minimized.
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