reactionary

adjective re·ac·tion·ary \ rē-ˈak-shə-ˌner-ē \

Definition of reactionary

:relating to, marked by, or favoring reaction; especially :ultraconservative in politics

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reactionary

noun

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reactionaryism

play \-ˌi-zəm\ noun

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Examples of reactionary in a Sentence

reactionary guardians of proper English usage invariably regard every new coinage that comes along as a nonword

Recent Examples of reactionary from the Web

The overreach remains entrenched, like a permanent fixture, plaguing our media coverage and our public discourse, provoking reactionary postures that are often times even more morally compromised than the source of the original agitation.

— berny belvedere, National Review, "The Destructive Power of Progressive Overreach," 22 Aug. 2017
How best to follow up a six-volume, 3,600-page, terrifically indiscreet autobiographical novel that cops to infidelity, self-mutilation, premature ejaculation, alcoholism, attraction to reactionary politics and ambivalence about fatherhood?

— parul sehgal, New York Times, "In ‘Autumn,’ Karl Ove Knausgaard Shows His Sweet Side," 22 Aug. 2017
That's more than can be said for reactionary teams like North American darlings Evil Geniuses.

— steven strom, Ars Technica, "How Dota 2 stability helped new blood succeed at The International 2017," 16 Aug. 2017
Lee's behavior, Kenny says, was reactionary to him being out of his league.

— ashley iaconetti, Cosmopolitan, "Bachelorette Recap: It's That Time Again, the "Men Tell All" Gossipfest," 1 Aug. 2017
But O'Bannon, a former UCLA basketball player, sued the monolithic and faceless NCAA, an organization seen by many as authoritarian, reactionary and, at times, stupid.

— cleveland.com, "Chris Spielman, Archie Griffin make business battle personal and very real with lawsuit against Ohio State," 17 July 2017
But the fact of the matter is that the initial bill was already a historically reactionary piece of legislation — one that’s to the right of GOP voters’ wishes, let alone to those of the electorate at large.

— eric levitz, Daily Intelligencer, "GOP Moderates Seem to Be Winning the Negotiations Over Trumpcare," 30 June 2017
Needless to say, the Beyhive was quick to run with these lyrics, sharing plenty of reactionary gifs on Twitter.

— de elizabeth, Teen Vogue, "Fans Think Jay Z's Album "4:44" Admits to Cheating on Beyoncé," 30 June 2017
Her father, a prominent lawyer, served as a member of parliament in the mid-1950s but resigned after a few years in protest of the reactionary laws the parliament was passing to support white-minority rule.

— juliet eilperin, Washington Post, "Saone Baron Crocker, a lawyer and cancer patient advocate, dies at 74," 19 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'reactionary.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of reactionary

1815

reactionary Synonyms

Other Government and Politics Terms

agent provocateur, agitprop, autarky, cabal, egalitarianism, federalism, hegemony, plenipotentiary, popular sovereignty, socialism

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reactionary

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reactionary

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