as in moderate
avoiding major social change or extreme political ideas
several centrist candidates were elected, apparently in a reaction against the extremists
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in middle-of-the-roader
a person who holds moderate views
the centrists will most likely rally behind the candidate who favors reforming the government program—not abolishing it entirely
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of centrist
Abbas Al Lawati, CNN Money, 1 Mar. 2026
If allowed to run, she is widely seen as a top contender to succeed centrist President Emmanuel Macron in the 2027 election.
—ABC News, 26 Feb. 2026
Mike Corder, Los Angeles Times, 24 Feb. 2026
Rob Jetten, 38, heads a three-party administration made up of his centrist D66, the center-right Christian Democrats and the center-right People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy.
—ABC News, 23 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for centrist
Adjective
By the time Hassan Rouhani, a centrist politician, succeeded hard-liner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as president in 2013, the nuclear showdown with the West had turned into Iran’s biggest foreign policy challenge.
—Abbas Al Lawati, CNN Money, 1 Mar. 2026
If allowed to run, she is widely seen as a top contender to succeed centrist President Emmanuel Macron in the 2027 election.
—ABC News, 26 Feb. 2026
Noun
Jetten, 38, heads a three-party administration made up of his centrist D66, the center-right Christian Democrats and the center-right People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy.
—Mike Corder, Los Angeles Times, 24 Feb. 2026
Rob Jetten, 38, heads a three-party administration made up of his centrist D66, the center-right Christian Democrats and the center-right People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy.
—ABC News, 23 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for centrist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for centrist
Adjective
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The condition isn't fully understood, as causes can range from mild to moderate head trauma, to pre-existing inner ear diseases, and treatment is confined largely to a physical therapy exercise called the Epley maneuver.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 Mar. 2026
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The clash mirrors a broader fight within the Democratic Party, as progressive candidates push for a more confrontational stance toward Israel’s government and more moderate lawmakers warn against alienating pro-Israel voters and donors.—
Olivia Olander,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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That process was opened on Monday by the Provisional Electoral Council at its central office in Pétion-Ville, and will continue until March 12.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
4 Mar. 2026
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Claude’s central argument—that Marks learned from Graham and Buffett just as Claude learned from training data—sounds profound, but human learning and statistical pattern-matching over text corpora are not the same.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
3 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Centrist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/centrist. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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