reactionary
Americanadjective
noun
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reactionaries
plural
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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antireactionarynoun
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reactionarismnoun
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reactionaryismnoun
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reactionismnoun
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half-reactionaryadjective
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nonreactionaryadjective
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semireactionaryadjective
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unreactionaryadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of reactionary
Explanation
A reactionary is someone who opposes reform or change, especially in the realm of politics. A reactionary is someone reacting (in horror) to what others consider to be progress. No one describes themselves as reactionary — you will hear it more often as a condemnation, as in "I cannot support the reactionary policy of mandatory military service for 18-year-olds."
Vocabulary lists containing reactionary
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Notably, he also warned people "not to be drawn into the influence of reactionary elements".
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026
“Because we focus so much on the kind of retroactive or reactionary human caseload, we miss the opportunity to control the vector and to understand more about the vector,” LaDeau said.
From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026
Policymakers also must avoid reactionary laws that do more harm than good.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026
“This is not just some sort of reactionary NIMBY-ism or pearl clutching.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 21, 2026
And there matters rested for three years, while schools in progressive Durham remained as segregated as those in reactionary Birmingham.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
Deeply discount the moaning of Hollywood reactionaries and certain podcasters trying to edge themselves into the spotlight.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 9, 2025
In moving his antihero between Vietnam and 1970s California, home of self-obsessed good vibrations, conflicted refugees and rabid anti-communist reactionaries, Nguyen reveals a series of rich dichotomies.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 14, 2025
Or even from prominent reactionaries like Elon Musk and Dave Portnoy.
From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2024
The more nuanced of the reactionaries instead talk about carrots and sticks.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2023
The elections of 1889 showed how completely the reactionaries had compromised their cause in the Boulangist failure.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 7 "Fox, George" to "France" by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
