conscientious objector

noun

: a person who refuses to serve in the armed forces or bear arms on moral or religious grounds

Examples of conscientious objector in a Sentence

He registered as a conscientious objector.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Bloomsbury included pacifists, conscientious objectors, soldiers, and agents of empire. Jenny Noyce, JSTOR Daily, 14 May 2025 On this day in 1967 at the height of the Vietnam War, boxer Muhammad Ali refused induction into the U.S. Army as a conscientious objector, citing religious reasons. Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 28 Apr. 2025 The Supreme Court in 1971 in Clay v. United States overturned the conviction, finding the government failed to specify why the boxer’s application for conscientious objector classification had been denied. Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 28 Apr. 2025 Very few people want to become conscientious objectors. Jishnu Guha-Majumdar, Vox, 8 Aug. 2024 See All Example Sentences for conscientious objector

Word History

First Known Use

1916, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of conscientious objector was in 1916

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Cite this Entry

“Conscientious objector.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conscientious%20objector. Accessed 1 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

conscientious objector

noun
: a person who refuses to serve in the armed forces or to bear arms because of his or her moral or religious beliefs

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