Definition of MANIFESTO (original) (raw)
: a written statement declaring publicly the intentions, motives, or views of its issuer
The group's manifesto focused on helping the poor and stopping violence.
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Manifesto is related to manifest, which occurs in English as a noun, verb, and adjective. Of these, the adjective, which means "readily perceived by the senses," is oldest, dating to the 14th century. Both manifest and manifesto derive ultimately from the Latin noun manus ("hand") and -festus, a combining form of uncertain meaning that is also found in the Latin adjective infestus ("hostile"), an ancestor of the English infest. Something that is manifest is easy to perceive or recognize, and a manifesto is a statement in which someone makes his or her intentions or views easy for people to ascertain. Perhaps the most well-known statement of this sort is the Communist Manifesto, written in 1848 by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels to outline the platform of the Communist League.
Examples of manifesto in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Allegories such as these are often tedious, but Atlus handles it with elegance and weaves its messages and manifestos into one of the most interesting fantasy worlds in years. —
Josh Broadwell, Rolling Stone, 11 Oct. 2024 Later, Locke dabbled in social media, posting shaky, fire-and-brimstone video manifestos on Facebook. —Sam Kestenbaum, Harper's Magazine, 21 June 2024 Flipping one of 2 Live Crew’s most notoriously obscene hooks, the duo dishes out trademark manifestos on scheming men over a riotous bounce beat. —Pitchfork, 11 Dec. 2023
Word History
Etymology
Noun and Verb
Italian, denunciation, manifest, from manifestare to manifest, from Latin, from manifestus
First Known Use
Noun
1620, in the meaning defined above
Verb
1748, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of manifesto was in 1620
Dictionary Entries Near manifesto
Cite this Entry
“Manifesto.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/manifesto. Accessed 17 Nov. 2024.
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