as in moderates
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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Recent Examples of centrists
Some liberals warned that centrists who cut a deal with Republicans to fund the government without a viable plan for extending health insurance subsidies would face a political backlash.
—
Alexander Bolton, The Hill, 5 Nov. 2025
Mamdani’s unlikely rise gives credence to Democrats who have urged the party to embrace more progressive candidates instead of rallying behind centrists in hopes of winning back swing voters who have abandoned the party.
—Sydney Lake, Fortune, 5 Nov. 2025
Both present themselves as kitchen-table centrists with extensive military and national security experience.
—Zac Anderson, USA Today, 4 Nov. 2025
Many centrists are seeking a way out of the increasingly painful five-week shutdown even as progressives urge the party to stick to its position of fighting for health care.
—Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 4 Nov. 2025
The gambit backfired as voters looked to the extremes of the left and right for leadership, depriving Macron's governing centrists of a majority.
—John Toher, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Oct. 2025
Loyalists have defected, and centrists have veered right.
—Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025
As of now, this hasn’t occurred, with the anti-Milei centrists representing a minority position ahead of the election.
—Agustino Fontevecchia, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2025
Beshear and Shapiro are considered centrists, mostly due to their states’ political makeup.
—Taylor Millard, The Washington Examiner, 22 Aug. 2025
Alexander Bolton, The Hill, 5 Nov. 2025
Mamdani’s unlikely rise gives credence to Democrats who have urged the party to embrace more progressive candidates instead of rallying behind centrists in hopes of winning back swing voters who have abandoned the party.
—Sydney Lake, Fortune, 5 Nov. 2025
Both present themselves as kitchen-table centrists with extensive military and national security experience.
—Zac Anderson, USA Today, 4 Nov. 2025
Many centrists are seeking a way out of the increasingly painful five-week shutdown even as progressives urge the party to stick to its position of fighting for health care.
—Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 4 Nov. 2025
The gambit backfired as voters looked to the extremes of the left and right for leadership, depriving Macron's governing centrists of a majority.
—John Toher, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Oct. 2025
Loyalists have defected, and centrists have veered right.
—Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025
As of now, this hasn’t occurred, with the anti-Milei centrists representing a minority position ahead of the election.
—Agustino Fontevecchia, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2025
Beshear and Shapiro are considered centrists, mostly due to their states’ political makeup.
—Taylor Millard, The Washington Examiner, 22 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for centrists
moderates
Noun
-
Mamdani’s win is not representative of mainstream Democrats and certainly not of moderates in middle America.—
Newsweek Contributors,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Sliwa’s path to victory is narrow in the overwhelmingly Democratic city, resting on his ability to secure the GOP vote with his tough-on-crime message and Noo Yawk attitude, while picking up moderates who don’t want to elevate Mamdani or return Cuomo to power.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
4 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Centrists.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/centrists. Accessed 14 Nov. 2025.
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