leftist
Americannoun
adjective
adjective
noun
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Etymology
Origin of leftist
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How does leftist compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
In politics, a leftist is someone who tends to support progressive or socialist ideas. Leftists generally favor bigger government and policies that result in economic and social equality. This political term, in use since the late 19th century, is from left, a word that came to mean "the democratic or liberal party." This meaning goes back to the seating arrangement of legislators in the Estates General during the French Revolution: those seated on the left supported the revolution, and came to be called la gauche, or "the left." Leftists is just another way to describe anyone with progressive or liberal political beliefs.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Leftist President Gabriel Boric won Chile's presidential election in 2021 to become the country's youngest ever leader, at 35 years of age.
From BBC • Jan. 3, 2025
Although never a New Leftist, the young Clinton was a “southern progressive” and “cautious radical,” the authors note, when he entered the Arkansas governor’s mansion in 1979.
From Slate • Sep. 15, 2023
Leftist guerrilla organizations fought against the dictatorship of the Somoza family, which ruled until the late 1970s.
From Textbooks • Dec. 14, 2022
Macron gathered only 20%, while Leftist Jean-Luc Melenchon and conservative Valerie Pecresse were at 14% and 13% respectively.
From Reuters • Apr. 11, 2022
Urvile, Prophet and Leftist were well-qualified for this activity, probably more so even than the quite accomplished Control-C.
From The Hacker Crackdown, law and disorder on the electronic frontier by Sterling, Bruce
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
