reactionary

[ ree-ak-shuh-ner-ee ]
See synonyms for reactionary on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. of, pertaining to, marked by, or favoring reaction, especially extreme conservatism or rightism in politics; opposing political or social change.

noun,plural re·ac·tion·ar·ies.
  1. a reactionary person.

Origin of reactionary

1
1830–40; reaction + -ary; compare French réactionnaire
  • Sometimes re·ac·tion·ist [ree-ak-shuh-nist] /riˈæk ʃə nɪst/ .

Other words for reactionary

Opposites for reactionary

Other words from reactionary

  • re·ac·tion·ism, re·ac·tion·ar·y·ism, re·ac·tion·ar·ism [ree-ak-shuh-nuh-riz-uhm], /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

Words that may be confused with reactionary

Words Nearby reactionary

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use reactionary in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for reactionary

reactionary

reactionist

/ (rɪˈækʃənərɪ, -ʃənrɪ) /


adjective
  1. of, relating to, or characterized by reaction, esp against radical political or social change

nounplural -aries or -ists
  1. a person opposed to radical change

Derived forms of reactionary

  • 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

Cultural definitions for reactionary

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.

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.