I. -_lə̇st noun
( -s )
1. : an advocate of federalism: as
a. often capitalized : an advocate of a federal union between the American colonies after the Revolution and of the formation and adoption of a constitution
b. often capitalized : world federalist
2. usually capitalized : a member or adherent of the American Federalist party that in the early years of the United States was in favor of a strong centralized federal power as opposed to a central government of limited sovereignty and few powers and that went out of existence between 1821 and 1825
II. adjective
or fed·er·al·is·tic |fed(ə)rə|listik, -tēk
: of, relating to, or favoring federalism or federalists