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Synonyms

leftist

American  
[lef-tist] / ˈlɛf tɪst /
Or Leftist

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.

leftist British  
/ ˈlɛftɪst /

adjective

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

"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

noun

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

"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
leftist Cultural  

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

Other Word Forms

  • antileftist adjective
  • leftism noun

Etymology

Origin of leftist

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

Compare meaning

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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.

Dissanayake's leftist JVP, or the People's Liberation Front, won a two-thirds majority at the November 2024 parliamentary elections after his own victory two months earlier in the presidential poll.

From Barron's • Apr. 4, 2026

Beyond the top three, leftist Rae Huang notched support from 8% of those polled, while tech entrepreneur Adam Miller drew 6%.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 22, 2026

In France, a loose union of leftist parties won a surprise first-place finish in France’s snap legislative elections in 2024.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 11, 2026

Tech entrepreneur Adam Miller was supported by just over 4% of those polled, with leftist candidate Rae Huang at about 3%.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 11, 2026

The Neylan board’s first case involved a former Los Alamos chemist named Robert Hurley, who had fallen under suspicion because his Latvian-born wife purportedly had leftist sympathies.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

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.