as in pacifist
a person who opposes war or warlike policies
peaceniks argued that all the nonmilitary options had not been exhausted
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Recent Examples of peacenik
Generations of peacenik Americans first saw Bread and Puppet Theater during anti-war protests.
—
Neda Ulaby, NPR, 6 Oct. 2025
And yet, from the ACLU to the Washington Post and the New York Times, the institutional guardians of the Left made a concerted effort to cede those causes to the mosh posh of crunchy anti-war peaceniks, classical conservatives, frat bros, and ordinary Americans who make up MAGA.
—Tiana Lowe Doescher, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 28 Feb. 2025
For Israel—where the country's once vibrant peacenik community has rapidly dissolved since Oct. 7—the killing of the Bibas boys is likely the nail in the coffin.
—Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 20 Feb. 2025
Burdick, a lifelong peacenik with a neat white beard, had moved to Saudi Arabia from Texas in the mid-nineties.
—Heidi Blake, The New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2024
Kelly is in almost immediately, flying to Cocoa Beach in Florida with her not-so-enthusiastic assistant, an anti-Nixon peacenik.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 8 July 2024
At this point, John Lennon is either a peacenik saint or a wife-beating villain in the eyes of most.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 20 Feb. 2024
This Einstein is a fervent peacenik who saw in Nazi Germany an existential threat to peace everywhere, and to Jewish people in particular.
—Chris Vognar, Rolling Stone, 17 Feb. 2024
That’s the debate between hawkish military officers, embodied by Devid Striesow, and more pragmatic politicians trying to negotiate an armistice, including the real-life character of Matthias Erzberger (Daniel Brühl), here portrayed as a peacenik motivated by the death of his son.
—Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post, 12 Oct. 2022
Neda Ulaby, NPR, 6 Oct. 2025
And yet, from the ACLU to the Washington Post and the New York Times, the institutional guardians of the Left made a concerted effort to cede those causes to the mosh posh of crunchy anti-war peaceniks, classical conservatives, frat bros, and ordinary Americans who make up MAGA.
—Tiana Lowe Doescher, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 28 Feb. 2025
For Israel—where the country's once vibrant peacenik community has rapidly dissolved since Oct. 7—the killing of the Bibas boys is likely the nail in the coffin.
—Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 20 Feb. 2025
Burdick, a lifelong peacenik with a neat white beard, had moved to Saudi Arabia from Texas in the mid-nineties.
—Heidi Blake, The New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2024
Kelly is in almost immediately, flying to Cocoa Beach in Florida with her not-so-enthusiastic assistant, an anti-Nixon peacenik.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 8 July 2024
At this point, John Lennon is either a peacenik saint or a wife-beating villain in the eyes of most.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 20 Feb. 2024
This Einstein is a fervent peacenik who saw in Nazi Germany an existential threat to peace everywhere, and to Jewish people in particular.
—Chris Vognar, Rolling Stone, 17 Feb. 2024
That’s the debate between hawkish military officers, embodied by Devid Striesow, and more pragmatic politicians trying to negotiate an armistice, including the real-life character of Matthias Erzberger (Daniel Brühl), here portrayed as a peacenik motivated by the death of his son.
—Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post, 12 Oct. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for peacenik
pacifist
Noun
-
Every version of me is a pacifist.—
Zadie Smith,
New Yorker,
22 Sep. 2025
-
André Weil: Pacifist Border Crosser As geopolitical tensions increased worldwide in the 1930s, mathematician André Weil, a committed pacifist, sought to avoid French military service and emigrated to the U.S. Weil was on a research trip to Finland when World War II broke out in 1939.—
Manon Bischoff,
Scientific American,
20 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Peacenik.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/peacenik. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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