Tory

To·ry

noun \ˈtȯr-ē\

plural Tories

Definition of TORY

1

: a dispossessed Irishman subsisting as an outlaw chiefly in the 17th century

2

obsolete : bandit, outlaw

3

a : a member or supporter of a major British political group of the 18th and early 19th centuries favoring at first the Stuarts and later royal authority and the established church and seeking to preserve the traditional political structure and defeat parliamentary reform — compare whig b : conservative 1b

4

: an American upholding the cause of the British Crown against the supporters of colonial independence during the American Revolution : loyalist

5

often not capitalized : an extreme conservative especially in political and economic principles

— Tory adjective

Examples of TORY

1. <a small-town Tory who saw that society was changing, much to his regret>

Origin of TORY

Irish tóraidhe outlaw, robber, from Middle Irish tóir pursuit

First Known Use: 1646

Related to TORY

Synonyms: archconservative, paleoconservative, reactionary, rightist, right-winger, conservative, traditionalist

Antonyms: leftist, left-winger, lefty, liberal, progressive

Related Words: right, right-wing; conformist; neocon, neoconservative; diehard, standpatter; bourbon, Colonel Blimp, fuddy-duddy, square, stuffed shirt

Near Antonyms: extremist, radical, red, revolutionary, revolutionist; reformer, reformist

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Other History Terms

agonistic, carpetbagger, enceinte, fief, historiography, paladin

Rhymes with TORY

Corey, corrie, dory, glory, Gorey, gory, hoary, lorry, lory, nori, quarry, saury, story, zori