as in conservative
tending to favor established ideas, conditions, or institutions
reactionary guardians of proper English usage invariably regard every new coinage that comes along as a nonword
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in rightist
a person whose political beliefs are centered on tradition and keeping things the way they are
reactionaries tried to stop the passage of the legislation extending civil rights
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in fogey
a person with old-fashioned ideas
a reactionary in the nation's ongoing culture war, she seems to believe that watching any TV at all will rot your brain
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of reactionary
Bianca Salonga, Forbes.com, 22 May 2025
And so, amid the noise and smoke of the culture wars, Cobb’s quaintly reactionary act intersected with vituperative Trumpian revanchism, and Cobb became a conservative TV personality.
—Nick Paumgarten, New Yorker, 19 May 2025
Not surprisingly, these responses produced a socially reactionary period that lasted through the 1940s and 1950s.
—Antony Beevor, Foreign Affairs, 7 May 2025
Not only in physical readiness, but emotional, psychological, and relational ones.
Self Offense shifts people out of a reactionary mindset and into a powerful, proactive way of being.
—William Jones, USA Today, 27 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for reactionary
Adjective
Influencers are more reactionary by nature, so we are focused on inviting key journalists.
—Bianca Salonga, Forbes.com, 22 May 2025
And so, amid the noise and smoke of the culture wars, Cobb’s quaintly reactionary act intersected with vituperative Trumpian revanchism, and Cobb became a conservative TV personality.
—Nick Paumgarten, New Yorker, 19 May 2025
Not surprisingly, these responses produced a socially reactionary period that lasted through the 1940s and 1950s.
—Antony Beevor, Foreign Affairs, 7 May 2025
Not only in physical readiness, but emotional, psychological, and relational ones.
Self Offense shifts people out of a reactionary mindset and into a powerful, proactive way of being.
—William Jones, USA Today, 27 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for reactionary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reactionary
Adjective
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The attacks from Trump and his allies on Leo and the Federalist Society reflect rifts between the populist Right and the conservative legal establishment.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
3 June 2025
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Nawrocki, a conservative historian and amateur boxer who was backed by PiS, had presented the vote as a referendum on Tusk's 18-month-old government.—
Anna Magdalena Lubowicka,
USA Today,
3 June 2025
Adjective
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Related Articles The report’s authors found that shoppers see luxury handbags as a good investment when purchasing (39 percent), while 29 percent of consumers see handbags as a great investment opportunity compared to traditional investments.—
Kanika Talwar,
Footwear News,
12 June 2025
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In the country category, there will be a new award for best traditional country album, and the current best country album category will be renamed to best contemporary country album.—
Ethan Millman,
HollywoodReporter,
12 June 2025
Noun
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Alex Caruso, one of the team’s veterans, was a bench guy, until he was tasked with defending Nikola Jokić during the Thunder’s series against the Denver Nuggets, and did about as good a job as anyone has ever done of shutting Jokić down.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
8 June 2025
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Twenty-two a day has been a call-to-action statistic, although the most recent data from the 2024 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report (using 2022 numbers) puts it at 17.6 veterans committing suicide per day, which is significantly higher than among non-veteran adults.—
Denise Crosby,
Chicago Tribune,
8 June 2025
Adjective
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Martinez is 29 years old, stands at 5-foot-11 with a 72-inch reach, and fights in an orthodox right-handed stance.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
22 Mar. 2025
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But there should be no such wall—even in the most orthodox capitalist system.—
Paul Laudicina,
Forbes.com,
25 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Reactionary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reactionary. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.
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