Legal Dictionary

terrorist

Definition of terrorist

Etymology

    French terroriste. See terror. First used by Edmund Burke

Noun

terrorist (plural terrorists)

  1. One who governs by terrorism or intimidation; originally applied to an agent or partisan of the revolutionary tribunal during the Reign of Terror in France.
  2. Anyone who uses terror as a weapon in a political struggle, frequently in an attempt to coerce a more powerful opponent, such as a government.

Adjective

terrorist (not comparable)

  1. Of or relating to terrorism.

Usage notes

The use of the label "terrorist" is often controversial or subjective, since one person's terrorist may be another's freedom fighter, and vice versa. A cynical definition may be that a terrorist is someone who murders or terrorizes more of those for whom the terrorist is fighting, than his supposed enemies.

Related terms

References:

  1. Wiktionary. Published under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.



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