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definitions

leftist

or Left·ist

[ lef-tist ]
/ ˈlɛf tɪst /
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR leftist ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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

adjective

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

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RELATED WORDS

revolutionary, militant, fanatical, progressive, uncompromising, far-out, extremist, violent, sweeping, renegade, fanatic, firebrand, insurgent, agitator, rebel, subversive, anarchist, reformer, rioter, liberal

Nearby words

  1. left-wing,
  2. left-winger,
  3. leftie,
  4. leftish,
  5. leftism,
  6. leftover,
  7. leftward,
  8. leftwardly,
  9. leftwards,
  10. lefty

Origin of leftist

First recorded in 1920–25; left1 + -ist
Related formsleft·ism, nounan·ti·left·ist, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for leftist

British Dictionary definitions for leftist

leftist

/ (ˈlɛftɪst) /

adjective

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

noun

a person who supports or belongs to the political left
Derived Formsleftism, 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
Word Origin and History for leftist

leftist

adj.

1897, from left (adj.) in the political sense + -ist.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Culture 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.