reactionary
[ ree-ak-shuh-ner-ee ]
/ riˈæk ʃəˌnɛr i /
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adjective
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.
a reactionary person.
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On the farm, the feed for chicks is significantly different from the roosters’; ______ not even comparable.
Sometimes re·ac·tion·ist [ree-ak-shuh-nist] /riˈæk ʃə nɪst/ .
OTHER WORDS FROM reactionary
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
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British Dictionary definitions for reactionary
reactionary
reactionist
/ (rɪˈækʃənərɪ, -ʃənrɪ) /
adjective
of, relating to, or characterized by reaction, esp against radical political or social change
noun plural -aries or -ists
a person opposed to radical change
Derived forms of reactionary
reactionism, nounCollins 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.