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

Even leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, accused by critics of being soft on crime, sought to project a tougher stance against the gangs in his response to the raid.

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Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Thursday told a Senate committee investigating a corruption scandal that has rocked his minority leftist government that its probe was "a circus".

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Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Thursday told a tetchy Senate committee hearing into a corruption scandal that has rocked his minority leftist government that the probe was "a circus".

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Spain's minority government on Tuesday downplayed the loss of support of a Catalan separatist party which heightened doubt about the fragile leftist coalition's survival.

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While many voters were ready to criticize the president, they said handing back power to the leftist Peronist opposition was unthinkable.

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• subversive