Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of reformist
Explanation
In politics, someone who believes that a government or economy should be improved through gradual changes is a reformist. Reformists tend to focus on working within existing systems and pushing through small changes over time, even if they believe those systems need major repair and reform. In politics, they are often compared with revolutionaries, who advocate for completely overhauling broken governments or societies and replacing them with something new. The Latin root of reformist is reformare, "to form again."
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.
There were also contrasting views among Iran's major media, with the reformist newspaper Etemad on Saturday welcoming the progress as a way to break "chronic geopolitical and economic deadlock".
From Barron's ● Jun. 13, 2026
In the mayoral race, incumbent Karen Bass is running slightly ahead of progressive city councilwoman Nithya Raman and the reformist Republican Spencer Pratt.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 1, 2026
Embassy in Tehran in 1979 and later became a reformist politician pushing for environmental protections and women’s rights.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026
But Iran's newly elected reformist president, Hassan Rouhani, convinced him that their dire economic straits gave them no other choice but to do everything they could to lift crippling international sanctions.
From BBC ● Apr. 10, 2026
As a reformist movement that never overtly questioned the traditional values of a caste-ridden, extremely traditional community.
From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy
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.
