reactionary

adjective

re·​ac·​tion·​ary rē-ˈak-shə-ˌner-ē 

: relating to, marked by, or favoring reaction

especially : ultraconservative in politics

reactionary noun

reactionaryism

rē-ˈak-shə-ˌner-ē-ˌi-zəm 

noun

Synonyms

• conservative
• traditional
• orthodox

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 on the Web

The only winning strategy is to abandon reactionary hiring. —Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2025

Electra Glide in Blue failed to land with audiences at the time, with critics dismissing it as a reactionary alternative to Easy Rider. —Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 13 Aug. 2025

By nature, cybersecurity can feel like a reactionary process. —Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 9 Aug. 2025

In this reading, the infected are both Brexiters, animated by a hunger to protect and restore a world that seems to them to have slipped away, and a symbol of what comes back, deformed, as a result of the reactionary project. —Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 9 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1815, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for reactionary

• accretionary
• apothecary
• bicentenary
• certiorari
• concessionary
• concretionary
• confectionary
• confectionery
• constabulary
• contemporary
• deflationary
• depositary

Kids Definition

reactionary

1 of 2 adjective

re·​ac·​tion·​ary

rē-ˈak-shə-ˌner-ē

: of, relating to, or favoring old-fashioned political or social ideas

reactionary

2 of 2 noun

plural reactionaries

: a reactionary person