leftist

Or Left·ist

[lef-tist]

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

/ 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

leftist

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

• leftism noun
• antileftist adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of leftist¹

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

Example Sentences

The decision was based on the leftist leader's "incendiary actions" during a pro-Palestinian street protest in New York, the State Department added.

From BBC

Fico's government – a coalition of populist, leftist and nationalist parties – needed at least 90 votes in the 150-seat Slovak National Council to change the constitution, but realistically only control 78 seats.

From BBC

She herself insisted she had been a relatively normal suburbanite before joining the leftist underground.

From Los Angeles Times

“For far too long, we have seen radical leftists with the teachers unions dominate classrooms and push woke indoctrination on our kids. They fight parents’ rights.

From Salon

According to Mark Bray, a professor of history at Rutgers University, the term was picked up across Europe in the 1980s and ’90s and adopted by a broad swath of leftists, anarchists and anti-authoritarian socialists.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• agitator 
• anarchist 
• extremist 
• fanatic 
• firebrand 
• insurgent 
• militant 
• progressive 
• rebel 
• reformer 
• renegade 
• revolutionary 
• rioter www.thesaurus.com
• subversive