unreconstructed

American  

[uhn-ree-kuhn-struhk-tid] / ˌʌn ri kənˈstrʌk tɪd /

adjective

1. stubbornly maintaining earlier positions, beliefs, etc.; not adjusted to new or current situations.

   an unreconstructed conservative.

2. U.S. History. (of Southern states) not accepting the conditions for reinstatement in the Union after the Civil War.

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unreconstructed British  

/ ˌʌnriːkənsˈtrʌktɪd /

adjective

1. unwilling to accept social and economic change, as exemplified by those White Southerners who refused to accept the Reconstruction after the Civil War

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Etymology

Origin of unreconstructed

First recorded in 1865–70, un- ¹ + reconstruct ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

Don Fabrizio declines the offer and launches into a memorable defense of unreconstructed Sicilian society.

From The Wall Street Journal

Flannery O’Connor’s thrillingly hard-edged tales about the unreconstructed South and its redemption-deficient malcontents will never lose their power to scratch us awake with their violence, humor and ugly truth.

From Los Angeles Times

He remembers growing up in 1970s suburban Hadley Wood and attending a public Jewish school during an era he describes as “pretty unreconstructed.”

From Los Angeles Times

Most conferences have an opening round through which all can sleep save for the aforementioned next of kin and the unreconstructed geeks.

From Washington Post

The lead character’s therapist is an unreconstructed Freudian.

From New York Times

Related Words

• old-line
• ultraconservative