anti-fascist

IPA/ˌæn.tiˈfæʃ.ɪst/
IPA/ˌæn.t̬iˈfæʃ.ɪst/

anti-fascist — adjective

1. holding or showing strong disagreement with the political system of fascism, in

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

holding or showing strong disagreement with the political system of fascism, in which a single powerful leader controls the state and suppresses opposition

Example

Ananya joined an anti-fascist student group on campus last semester.

anti-fascist student group

That local newspaper published several anti-fascist articles during the crisis.

Common collocations
  • anti-fascist movement
  • anti-fascist group
  • anti-fascist activist
  • anti-fascist protest
  • anti-fascist literature
Synonyms
  • antifascist

    same meaning; the unhyphenated spelling is less common but equally correct

Antonyms
  • fascist

    describes belief in or support for a fascist system

Usage Note

Typically modifies nouns referring to people, groups, writings, or organised events (activist, pamphlet, rally, movement).

Common Mistakes

He is a anti-fascist writer.
He is an anti-fascist writer.
'anti-' begins with a vowel sound, so the indefinite article must be 'an', not 'a'.

anti-fascist — noun

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All three terms describe opposition to oppressive political systems, but they differ in scope and historical weight. Anti-fascist (or its unhyphenated variant antifascist) specifically targets the ideology of fascism — a far-right, nationalist, authoritarian system exemplified by Mussolini's Italy and Nazi Germany. Anti-authoritarian is broader: it rejects any concentration of power, from military dictatorships to corporate control, without singling out fascism. Anti-totalitarian focuses on regimes that try to control every aspect of life, including both fascist and communist dictatorships. In historical writing, 'anti-fascist' carries the strongest association with the organised resistance movements of the 1930s and 1940s. For example, 'Orwell fought as an anti-fascist in the Spanish Civil War' implies a specific historical commitment that 'anti-authoritarian' would not convey as sharply.

antifascistanti-authoritariananti-totalitarian

Common collocations

Adverbs

  • staunchly anti-fascist
  • openly anti-fascist
  • consistently anti-fascist

Etymology

GreekLatinItalianEnglish

Formed in English from the prefix 'anti-' (meaning 'against', ultimately from Greek 'antí') and the noun 'fascist', which itself comes from Italian 'fascista', referring to a member of the Fascist political movement founded by Benito Mussolini in post-World War I Italy. The term 'anti-fascist' entered English usage in the early 1920s as Mussolini's regime consolidated power and opposition movements grew across Europe.