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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in veteran
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
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 1 May 2026
Our philosophy is to build something complimentary to how the film industry is evolving vs being reactionary to how the industry is changing.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 28 Apr. 2026
James Duesterberg, New Yorker, 18 Feb. 2026
In middle age, some sports fans become reactionaries.
—Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 25 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for reactionary
Adjective
The Louisiana decision, written by the arch-reactionary Justice Samuel Alito, is a diabolical sequel to the court’s ruling seven years ago that the federal judiciary is incapable of judging partisan political gerrymanders.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 1 May 2026
Our philosophy is to build something complimentary to how the film industry is evolving vs being reactionary to how the industry is changing.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 28 Apr. 2026
Noun
Like Curtis Yarvin and other neo-reactionaries, Land abhors democracy.
—James Duesterberg, New Yorker, 18 Feb. 2026
In middle age, some sports fans become reactionaries.
—Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 25 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for reactionary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reactionary
Adjective
-
The Religion News Service reports the speakers are almost entirely conservative Christians, a key part of the president’s political base.—
Joseph Bonasia,
The Orlando Sentinel,
15 May 2026
-
The two Republicans, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco and conservative commentator Steve Hilton, spoke of a halcyon California destroyed by feckless Democrats and vowed a return to those days.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
The veterans were essentially reclamation projects.—
Eric Stephens,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
-
Built in the 17th century under King Louis XIV, the National Institution of Invalides houses dozens of residents — among them military veterans, Holocaust survivors and civilian victims of conflicts and attacks who receive long-term, medically supervised care.—
Sylvie Corbet,
Los Angeles Times,
14 May 2026
Adjective
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Bedside lanterns, traditional tea pots above the minibar, and authentic decorative pottery fill the room.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
12 May 2026
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But Hadler does not believe that fibromyalgia should be classified as a disease in the traditional biomedical sense, because medicine has yet to identify a discrete, demonstrable pathophysiological process underlying it.—
Jason Liebowitz,
The Atlantic,
12 May 2026
Adjective
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The documentary traces Hier’s path from an orthodox Jewish enclave to international prominence as the founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center and Museum of Tolerance.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
28 Apr. 2026
-
In the nineteen-seventies, Franciscan University, a small school on a hill above the downtown, became a center for charismatic Catholicism, an expressive, theologically orthodox movement that paralleled the development of the evangelical Jesus People and secular hippie culture.—
Emma Green,
New Yorker,
17 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Reactionary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reactionary. Accessed 16 May. 2026.
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