Origin: Greek suffix -ist
Terrorist has 3 different meanings across 1 category:
a radical who employs terror as a political weapon; usually organizes with other terrorists in small cells; often uses religion as a cover for terrorist activities
"The intelligence report warned that the suspected terrorist was operating out of a remote mosque, coordinating attacks through encrypted messages while claiming divine justification."
A person, group, or organization that uses violent action, or the threat of violent action, to further political goals.
"The international community condemned the terrorist attack on the embassy as a desperate attempt to force regime change through violence."
In plain English: A terrorist is someone who uses violence to scare people and force them to do what they want.
"The police arrested the suspect for planning another terrorist attack on the city center."
Of or relating to terrorism.
"The government cracked down on terrorist activities by implementing stricter surveillance measures across the capital region."
In plain English: A terrorist is someone who uses violence to try to scare people into changing how things are done.
"The terrorist attack left the city in ruins."
Usage: Use this adjective only when describing actions, groups, or methods that involve violence intended to create fear and achieve political goals; avoid applying it loosely to any act of aggression without the specific intent of intimidation for ideological ends. It functions as a modifier rather than an action verb, so do not say someone "terrorized" unless you mean they committed terrorist acts themselves.
The word terrorist comes from the French term terroriste, which was first recorded in English in 1794 to describe someone involved with political terror. It is formed by combining "terror" with the suffix "-ist."