leftist

or Left·ist

[ lef-tist ]
See synonyms for: leftistleftistsleftism on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. a member of the political Left or a person sympathetic to its views.

adjective
  1. of, pertaining to, characteristic of, or advocated by the political Left.

Origin of leftist

1
First recorded in 1920–25; left1 + -ist

Other words from leftist

  • leftism, noun
  • an·ti·left·ist, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use leftist in a sentence

  • Sarkozy, after all, campaigned against the excesses of 1960s leftism.

    Carla on the Couch | Eric Pape | October 22, 2009 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • No sooner does the Left of some party break off and found a new party than it is immediately confronted by its own Leftism.

    The Fruits of Victory | Norman Angell

British Dictionary definitions for leftist

leftist

/ (ˈlɛftɪst) /


adjective
  1. of, tending towards, or relating to the political left or its principles

noun
  1. a person who supports or belongs to the political left

Derived forms of leftist

  • leftism, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for leftist

leftist

One who holds a left-wing viewpoint; someone who seeks radical social and economic change in the direction of greater equality.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.