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
David Zane Mairowitz, Rolling Stone, 22 Dec. 2025
Schoen’s idea of learning from mistakes has been reactionary overcorrections.
—Dan Duggan, New York Times, 3 Dec. 2025
Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 25 Dec. 2025
Yes, the movie’s reactionaries are ridiculous, never more so than when Penn’s comic-book antagonist is onscreen.
—Graham Hillard, The Washington Examiner, 3 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for reactionary
Adjective
This is a personal dilemma for me, never having lost an ounce of my lifelong political combat against the reactionary steamroller.
—David Zane Mairowitz, Rolling Stone, 22 Dec. 2025
Schoen’s idea of learning from mistakes has been reactionary overcorrections.
—Dan Duggan, New York Times, 3 Dec. 2025
Noun
In middle age, some sports fans become reactionaries.
—Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 25 Dec. 2025
Yes, the movie’s reactionaries are ridiculous, never more so than when Penn’s comic-book antagonist is onscreen.
—Graham Hillard, The Washington Examiner, 3 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for reactionary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reactionary
Adjective
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Like most conservative economists at the time, Hassett was a staunch deficit hawk, an advocate of higher levels of immigration, and, above all else, an unabashed free trader.—
Rogé Karma,
The Atlantic,
7 Jan. 2026
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The town sees some daylight in the financial calculations it's made, says its estimates are conservative.—
Alan Gionet,
CBS News,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The agreement includes bipartisan bills worked out by the Senate Appropriations Committee to fund parts of government — food aid, veterans programs and the legislative branch, among other things.—
Orianna Rosa Royle,
Fortune,
10 Nov. 2025
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Mills and the Texans’ offense scored a touchdown on all three of their fourth-quarter drives, including the veteran quarterback capping a 14-play, 93-yard drive with a 14-yard run to complete the comeback and give Houston a 30-29 lead — its first of the game.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
10 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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The Broncos are not a Super Bowl team in the traditional sense, not without more weapons offensively, and a special teams boost from Marvin Mims Jr.—
Troy Renck The Denver Post,
Arkansas Online,
10 Jan. 2026
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Quarter-zip sweatshirts feel sporty yet polished, offering the same comfort as traditional sweats with a more intentional silhouette.—
Gabrielle Porcaro,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Leo took part in celebrations for the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea in the northwestern town of Iznik, alongside the spiritual leader of eastern orthodox Christians, Patriarch Bartholomew.—
Christopher Lamb,
CNN Money,
28 Nov. 2025
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Tinubu’s two-year presidency has focused on fixing Nigeria’s ailing economy by cutting fuel subsidies, engineering a return to orthodox monetary policy at the central bank, taming inflation, and introducing a new tax regime.—
Alexander Onukwue,
semafor.com,
24 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Reactionary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reactionary. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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