The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
n. One who has personal or group survival as a primary goal in the face of difficulty, opposition, and especially the threat of natural catastrophe, nuclear war, or societal collapse.
n. A person who believes in being prepared to survive and is actively preparing for possible future emergencies and disruptions in local, regional, national, or international social or political order.
WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
n. someone who tries to insure their personal survival or the survival of their group or nation
Word Usage
"Or perhaps a flea market, where the detritus of a capitalist culture gets recycled in survivalist fantasia below a mythological rural idyll."