Definition

Noun: A person who advocates for or supports the legal prohibition of the manufacture, sale, and consumption of alcoholic beverages. The term is most strongly associated with the political and social movement in the United States that led to the enactment of the Eighteenth Amendment (Prohibition) from 1920 to 1933.

Usage and Examples

• Noun:
  • The prohibitionist argued that banning alcohol would improve public health and reduce crime.
  • She was a staunch prohibitionist, campaigning tirelessly for temperance laws.
  • The movement was driven by prohibitionists who believed alcohol was the root of social problems.

Advanced Usage

• Historical Context: The term is often capitalized when referring to members of the specific historical movement, such as the Prohibition Party.
  • Carrie Nation was a famous Prohibitionist known for her radical tactics.
• Figurative/Modern Use: In contemporary discourse, it can be used more broadly to describe a person with an uncompromising stance against any substance or activity they deem harmful.
  • He's a prohibitionist when it comes to sugary drinks in schools.

Variants and Related Words

• Prohibition (n): The act of forbidding something by law, especially the era when alcohol was banned in the U.S.
• Prohibitive (adj): Serving to forbid or restrict; excessively high (as in cost).
• Temperance (n): Moderation or abstinence from alcohol, often associated with the same social movement.

Synonyms

• Teetotaler: A person who abstains completely from alcoholic drinks. (Note: A teetotaler practices personal abstinence, while a prohibitionist advocates for legal bans.)
• Dry (informal, especially historical): A person who supports prohibition laws.
• Abstainer: A person who refrains from drinking alcohol.
• Reformer: A person who advocates for political or social change. (This is the broader category from the reference definition.)

Antonyms

• Wet (informal, especially historical): A person who opposes prohibition laws.
• Distiller/Brewer: A producer of alcoholic beverages.
• Libertarian (in this context): A person advocating for minimal government intervention in personal choices, including alcohol consumption.

Related Phrases and Idioms

• The Noble Experiment: A phrase often used to describe the period of Prohibition in the United States (1920-1933).
  • Many prohibitionists believed in the promise of the Noble Experiment.
• On the wagon: Abstaining from drinking alcohol.
  • Although not a prohibitionist, he's been on the wagon for a year.

Noun

1. a reformer who opposes the use of intoxicating beverages