as in conservative
tending to favor established ideas, conditions, or institutions
reactionary guardians of proper English usage invariably regard every new coinage that comes along as a nonword
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in rightist
a person whose political beliefs are centered on tradition and keeping things the way they are
reactionaries tried to stop the passage of the legislation extending civil rights
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in fogey
a person with old-fashioned ideas
a reactionary in the nation's ongoing culture war, she seems to believe that watching any TV at all will rot your brain
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of reactionary
Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
This reactionary strategy keeps companies mired in the past, unable to leverage real-time analytics, artificial intelligence and automation.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025
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Being a safe and smart solo traveler means looking after my entire well-being in a preventative way, not just a reactionary way.
—Kelsey Glennon, Travel + Leisure, 30 Mar. 2025
In the realm of finance, this means that positive emotions encourage strategic long-term financial planning, while negative emotions push individuals toward short-term, reactionary spending habits.
—Shane Enete, Forbes, 24 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for reactionary
Adjective
Teams take pride in removing emotion from decisions and loathe making moves that can be interpreted as reactionary.
—Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
This reactionary strategy keeps companies mired in the past, unable to leverage real-time analytics, artificial intelligence and automation.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025
Vitamin C + Collagen packets $37 $31 at Amazon
Being a safe and smart solo traveler means looking after my entire well-being in a preventative way, not just a reactionary way.
—Kelsey Glennon, Travel + Leisure, 30 Mar. 2025
In the realm of finance, this means that positive emotions encourage strategic long-term financial planning, while negative emotions push individuals toward short-term, reactionary spending habits.
—Shane Enete, Forbes, 24 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for reactionary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reactionary
Adjective
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Within days, a conservative legal group echoed Carr’s words in a petition asking the FCC, which governs broadcast licenses, to investigate whether coverage of Abrego Garcia on NBC, ABC and CBS distorted facts.—
Meg James,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2025
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Guidance from Dover , also out Thursday, was prudently conservative , and the market rewarded the stock.—
Kevin Stankiewicz,Matthew J. Belvedere,
CNBC,
27 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Hepworth takes a legal-first approach as opposed to other crypto ''influencers'' or traditional financial consultants, assisting investors in understanding risk, security, and long-term wealth strategies as well as market opportunities.—
Kody Boye,
USA Today,
26 Apr. 2025
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To the extent that Substack and other venues are the new journalism, maybe tomorrow’s teachers will be thriving in places other than traditional schools.—
John Werner,
Forbes.com,
25 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Drake Baldwin thriving in role Rookie catcher Drake Baldwin’s role has been reduced since veteran Sean Murphy returned from the injured list, but Baldwin is excelling in his opportunities to catch a couple of times a week and also DH or pinch hit occasionally.—
David O'Brien,
New York Times,
21 Apr. 2025
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The team parted ways with head coach Antonio Pierce and brought in veteran Pete Carroll to steer the ship.—
Nicholas Creel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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But there should be no such wall—even in the most orthodox capitalist system.—
Paul Laudicina,
Forbes.com,
25 Apr. 2025
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Historian William Dalrymple traces the current sectarian divisions to the reign of Emperor Aurangzeb, who shattered the empire’s religious pluralism by trying to impose orthodox Islam on the populace.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
24 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Reactionary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reactionary. Accessed 3 May. 2025.
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