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peacenik

peacenik

5 8.4
A person who is against war and supports peace by calling for talks
  • noun
  • /ˈpiːs.nɪk/
  • Archaic
translation icon : pacifista
  • Then they got replaced by a bunch of peacenik Democrats who ended up not being so peacefully inclined as people had believed.
  • an old peacenik

Examples

  • I am not a '60s love light and peacenik.

    Blog text (25)
  • Which, as a peacenik, I can't admit to looking forward to.

    Blog text (34)
  • Listen, man... you should try to reach my guy Ron Carlson, old peacenik lawyer... works out of New York, takes people north.

  • - Have you formed any connection with any peaceniks, dissidents or other unofficial groups of that nature?

  • It's not just the extreme minority peaceniks who see how ridiculous the radicals on both sides have acted.

    Blog text (17)
  • Underscoring his defiance of the "peacenik" stereotype, Hanafin declared he is "a card-carrying Republican."

    Academic text (2006)
  • I lived in a rundown rooming house on Mifflen Street, among all the longhaired war protesters and scruffy peaceniks.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • A binational Israeli-Palestinian state—a dream of many peaceniks—is not politically viable even though it would be economically desirable.

    Academic text (2002)
  • Many peaceniks believe that dialogue is more effective than war in solving conflicts.

  • The conference was attended by several peaceniks advocating for disarmament and peaceful resolutions.

Synonyms

peacemaker
vspeacenik
23 3.7

A person who helps end arguments and makes people agree

is informal and opposes war, not just acting to resolve disputes
dove
vspeacenik
11 6.7

A person who prefers peaceful, diplomatic solutions rather than war

is informal and prefers negotiation over military action in general
pacifist
vspeacenik
8 5.3

Not supporting war or violence and preferring peaceful solutions

is informal and stresses negotiation instead of armed conflict
pacificist
vspeacenik
8.1

A person who opposes using violence to solve conflicts

is informal and focuses on negotiation over military responses
disarmer
vspeacenik
7.8

A person who opposes violence and wants people or countries to give up weapons

is informal and focuses on negotiating peace rather than weapon policies
antimilitarist
vspeacenik
7.3

A person who opposes the military having power in government or society

is informal and mainly promotes negotiation instead of military solutions

Antonyms

warmonger
  • Offensive
17 8.1

A person who wants their country to start a war or use force against other countries

How Committed

peacemaker
23 3.7
activist
6 3.7
peacenik
  • Archaic
5 8.4
pacifist
8 5.3
anti-war
55 3.4

Surface Forms

peacenik singular
peaceniks plural

Morphology

peacenik = peace (semi-transparent) = peace + nik

The meaning 'person who supports peace' is predictable from 'peace' plus the agentive '-nik', but '-nik' is an informal Slavic-derived suffix that may be unknown to many learners.

Etymology

The word peacenik is built from peace and the ending -nik, a Yiddish/Russian way to mean 'person' or 'one who' and seen in English words like beatnik. So a peacenik is literally a 'person for peace' and is often used informally for someone strongly opposed to war.