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

• archconservative
• brassbound
• button-down
• buttoned-down
• conservative
• die-hard
• hidebound
• mossbacked
• old-fashioned
• old-line
• old-school
• orthodox
• paleoconservative
• standpat
• traditional
• traditionalistic
• ultraconservative
• unprogressive

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

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

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