Pacifist — A Vocabulary Story
The Standoff at Malham Cove
Jean had never seen Malham Cove in the Yorkshire Dales look so vast. The limestone curved above her like a frozen wave, and beneath it, two boys from her hiking group were squaring up over a dropped sandwich.
"Just push him back," muttered Jorge, nudging Jean's elbow. "You're tall enough."
Jean shook her head. "I'm a pacifist. I don't fight, and I don't help others fight either."
Pacifist means a person who believes that war and violence are unjustifiable.
Jorge rolled his eyes. "A pacifist? Out here? Even the sheep look tougher than you."
She ignored him and walked between the two boys, holding out the squashed cheese sandwich like a peace offering. Tom snatched it. Ravi scowled. Neither swung.
Later, as they climbed the worn steps to the limestone pavement, Ravi caught up with her.
"Thanks. I didn't actually want to hit him. I just didn't know how to stop."
"My mum says being a pacifist isn't about being soft," Jean replied, hopping over a crack in the limestone. "It's about finding the harder route on purpose."
At the top, the wind tugged their jackets. Jorge sat on a boulder, sulking.
"Fine. Maybe a pacifist isn't a coward."
"Maybe," Jean said, smiling.
Below them, the valley stretched green and patient. Tom shared half the sandwich with Ravi. Jean sat down beside Jorge, and the wind carried their quiet breathing across the cove.
Word Definition
pacifist
meaning
a person who believes that war and violence are unjustifiable
synonyms
peacemaker · dove · peacenik · peace-lover · conscientious objector
antonyms
warmonger · militarist · jingo
example sentence
As a pacifist, she refused to participate in the military draft.