reactionary [ree-ak -shuh -ner-ee]
Synonyms Examples Word Origin
See more synonyms for reactionary on Thesaurus.com of, pertaining to, marked by, or favoring reaction , especially extreme conservatism or rightism in politics; opposing political or social change. Show More
noun, plural re·ac·tion·ar·ies. a reactionary person. Show More
Sometimes re·ac·tion·ist [ree-ak -shuh -nist] /riˈæk ʃə nɪst/ .
Origin of reactionary 1830–40; reaction +
-ary ; compare
French réactionnaire Related forms re·ac·tion·ism , re·ac·tion·ar·y·ism , re·ac·tion·ar·ism [ree-ak -shuh -nuh -riz-uh m] /riˈæk ʃə nəˌrɪz əm/ noun an·ti·re·ac·tion·ar·y , noun, plural an·ti·re·ac·tion·ar·ies, adjective half-re·ac·tion·ar·y , adjective non·re·ac·tion·ar·y , adjective, noun, plural non·re·ac·tion·ar·ies. sem·i·re·ac·tion·ar·y , adjective, noun, plural sem·i·re·ac·tion·ar·ies. un·re·ac·tion·ar·y , adjective Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Related Words for reactionary rightist ,
rigid ,
regressive ,
counterrevolutionary ,
traditionalist ,
right ,
obscurantist ,
Tory ,
ultraconservative ,
diehard ,
royalist ,
die-hard ,
orthodox ,
traditional ,
retrogressive ,
traditionalistic ,
old-line ,
standpat ,
intransigent ,
reactionist Examples from the Web for reactionary Contemporary Examples of reactionary 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The 4th of July has been reactionary , chauvinistic, and out-of-date since 1776.
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 of reactionary Decidedly, he ought to have sold himself to the reactionary party.
Perhaps conservative is not the word; reactionary would be closer.
And I am not alone in resenting your reactionary tendencies.
Being a reactionary , I still felt that woman's place was not in the Army or Navy.
We are not speaking of a reactionary revolution but of the "activist."
British Dictionary definitions for reactionary of, relating to, or characterized by reaction, esp against radical political or social change Show More
noun plural -aries or -ists a person opposed to radical change Show More
Derived Forms reactionism , 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
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
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.
