communist

communist — adjective

1. connected with the political and economic system called communism, in which prop

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

connected with the political and economic system called communism, in which property and businesses are owned by the state or by the community as a whole rather than by private individuals.

Example

The professor wrote a book about communist theory in the twentieth century.

communist + noun (theory, ideology, philosophy)

Hana attended a lecture on the history of communist movements in Asia.

Common collocations
  • communist theory
  • communist ideology
  • communist movement
  • communist philosophy
  • communist literature
  • communist ideas
Synonyms
  • Marxist

    more specific — refers to the ideas of Karl Marx rather than the broader communist tradition

  • left-wing

    broader — describes any political position that favours social equality, not limited to communism

Antonyms
  • capitalist

    describes an economic system based on private ownership rather than collective ownership

Grammar Patterns

communist + noun

Usage Note

Can be written with a capital C (Communist) when referring to a specific political party or its official name, but lowercase is common in general references to the ideology.

Common Mistakes

She has communist believes.
She has communist beliefs.
'beliefs' is the correct noun form; 'believes' is a verb.

2. describing a country, region, or government that is controlled by a communist po

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

describing a country, region, or government that is controlled by a communist political party and follows a system where the state owns most property and businesses.

Example

After decades of isolation, the communist country began trading with its neighbors.

communist + country / state / government / regime

Priya visited the former communist state to study its transition to a market economy.

Common collocations
  • communist country
  • communist state
  • communist regime
  • communist government
  • former communist country
  • communist party
Synonyms
  • socialist

    broader term; some socialist states are not strictly communist

  • party-controlled

    more general — describes any government run by a single political party

Antonyms
  • democratic

    describes a government elected by the people through free elections

Grammar Patterns

communist + country/state/government/regime

Usage Note

Frequently used with 'former' to describe countries that have moved away from this system. Distinguish from sense 1: sense 2 describes actual governments or territories, while sense 1 describes ideas or systems.

communist — noun

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All three words describe people who favour greater social and economic equality, but they differ in scope and specificity. A socialist supports social ownership of key industries but usually accepts some private property and democratic processes. A Marxist specifically follows the theories of Karl Marx, believing that class struggle drives historical change and that capitalism will inevitably be replaced by communism. A leftist is the broadest term — it describes anyone with progressive or reformist political views, from moderate social democrats to radical activists. In practice: 'Nadia's grandfather was a communist who believed the state should control all production.' 'Priya describes herself as a socialist who supports public healthcare but not a complete end to private business.'

socialist ↗Marxistleftist

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • member of the Communist party
  • former communist country

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'communist' entered English in the mid-19th century from French 'communiste', which was built from 'commun' (common) and the suffix '-iste' (-ist). The French word drew on Latin 'communis', meaning 'shared by all'. The term gained wide use after the publication of The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in 1848, which laid out the political theory that property and resources should be held in common.