reactionary
Americanadjective
noun
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
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.
As reactionary as that sounds, I was totally rapt.
From Los Angeles Times • May 22, 2026
Parnell died of pneumonia the next year, at 45, leaving behind the legend of a great man brought low by reactionary forces.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026
Dwight Macdonald managed the difficult feat of being a democratic socialist and at the same time a tiresome snob and cultural reactionary, often coming off like a retired colonel at his London club.
From Salon • Apr. 19, 2026
Acting on emotions creates what analysts call a “behavior gap,” which is the difference between strong returns and poor returns that tend to be associated with reactionary decision-making.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 7, 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
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.
