reformer

[ ri-fawr-mer ]

/ rɪˈfɔr mər /

Save This Word!

noun

a person devoted to bringing about reform, as in politics or society.

(initial capital letter) any of the leaders of the Reformation.

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "IS" VS. "ARE"

"Is" it time for a new quiz? "Are" you ready? Then prove your excellent skills on using "is" vs. "are."

Question 1 of 7

IS and ARE are both forms of which verb?

Origin of reformer

First recorded in 1520–30; reform + -er¹

an·ti·re·form·er, nouncoun·ter·re·form·er, noun

Reformers understood that constructive societal evolution was the antidote to socialist revolution.
From The Square Deal to The New Deal: The Overlapping Political Identities of TR and FDR|John Avlon|September 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
TR and FDR were both reformers in that sense - and they were both progressives.
From The Square Deal to The New Deal: The Overlapping Political Identities of TR and FDR|John Avlon|September 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Immigration reformers like to say that the price of doing nothing to fix the system is high.
Why Obama Won't Act on Immigration|Ruben Navarrette Jr.|September 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Political groups such the American Federation for Children and Democrats for Education Reform need to protect reformers.
A Letter of Thanks to Michelle Rhee|Dmitri Mehlhorn|August 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The respectable reformers, meanwhile, know how rare a chance 2016 is to decisively shape our national affairs.
The GOP Flees to the Cleve|James Poulos|July 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The reformers of the earlier period were not indifferent to the need for centralized organization in the banking system.
Readings in Money and Banking|Chester Arthur Phillips
It was soon obvious that there were two distinct types of delegates: the eastern "conservatives" and the western "reformers."
Hallowed Heritage: The Life of Virginia|Dorothy M. Torpey
There are the best and the worst—all who can pay the price: the reformers cheek by jowl with the mayor and the Boss, by Jove!
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton
There are other countries in which it is simple without any magnificence, as among the reformers of Europe and in British America.
A Philosophical Dictionary, Volume 1 (of 10)|Franois-Marie Arouet (AKA Voltaire)
No matter what the most successful reformers accomplish, there will be no high civilization here in our time—no background.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton