reactionary
[ree-ak-shuh-ner-ee]
- of, pertaining to, marked by, or favoring reaction, especially extreme conservatism or rightism in politics; opposing political or social change.
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- a reactionary person.
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Sometimes re·ac·tion·ist [ree-ak-shuh-nist] /riˈæk ʃə nɪst/.
Origin of reactionary
Synonyms
See more synonyms for reactionary on Thesaurus.com1, 2. ultraconservative.
Antonyms
1, 2. radical.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for reactionary
Contemporary Examples
I do, however, intend it to sound mean about the reactionary, prejudice-infested place she comes from.
Reactionary movements are, first and foremost, not rational.
The 4th of July has been reactionary, chauvinistic, and out-of-date since 1776.
P.J. O'Rourke: 27 Sensitive, Caring, Green, and Politically Committed Reasons to Ban July 4thP. J. O’Rourke
July 3, 2014
Reactionary conservative candidates did alarmingly well in recent elections for the European Parliament.
So Rove—I will give him this much—knows the workings of the fearful, reactionary mind.
Historical Examples
Decidedly, he ought to have sold himself to the reactionary party.
The Fortune of the RougonsEmile Zola
Perhaps conservative is not the word; reactionary would be closer.
Blood and IronJohn Hubert Greusel
And I am not alone in resenting your reactionary tendencies.
ScaramoucheRafael Sabatini
Being a reactionary, I still felt that woman's place was not in the Army or Navy.
The Winged Men of OrconDavid R. Sparks
We are not speaking of a reactionary revolution but of the "activist."
The New SocietyWalther Rathenau
reactionary
reactionist
- of, relating to, or characterized by reaction, esp against radical political or social change
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- a person opposed to radical change
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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 reactionary
adj.
1831, on model of French réactionnaire (19c.), from réaction (see reaction). In Marxist use, "tending toward reversing existing tendencies," opposed to revolutionary and used opprobriously in reference to opponents of communism, by 1858. As a noun, "person considered reactionary," especially in politics, one who seeks to check or undo political action, by 1855.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
reactionary
An extremely conservative person or position that not only resists change but seeks to return to the “good old days” of an earlier social order.
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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.