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.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

left-luggage office, left-of-center, left-to-right shunt, left-wing, leftie, leftist, leftover, leftward, leftwards, lefty, leg

Origin of leftist

First recorded in 1920–25; left¹ + -ist

Related forms

left·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

A ceasefire by leftist rebels in Colombia could close the last one.
Did The U.S.-Cuba Deal Help Drive A Rebel Ceasefire in Colombia?|Richard McColl|December 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And then, if Pope Francis is still with us, we may well see the leftist saints come marching in.
Why Pope Francis Wants to Declare Murdered Archbishop Romero a Saint|Christopher Dickey|August 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
If modernism was going to be acceptable, its leftist leanings had to be gotten rid of.
How Jews Created American Modernism|Andrew Romano|August 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It stands, in short, for everything a leftist should detest.
Meet Stephen F. Cohen, Vladimir Putin's Best Friend in the American Media|Cathy Young|March 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The only way to get a leftist government is to simply get the rightist government, and especially Bibi Netanyahu, out.
What’s Different at J Street This Year?|Brent E. Sasley|September 30, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Ray has always had the propaganda that he is a leftist and that he is Castro without Castro.
Warren Commission (11 of 26): Hearings Vol. XI (of 15)|The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy
I have in mind—was this in your opinion a rightist plot, a leftist plot, an anarchist plot?
Warren Commission (1 of 26): Hearings Vol. I (of 15)|The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy
Gramsci, the Sardinian leftist philosopher, suggested the need for a language of the proletariat.
The Civilization of Illiteracy|Mihai Nadin

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 Forms

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

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.