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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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 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
Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 28 Apr. 2026
President of baseball operations David Stearns is not reactionary.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 27 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
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
President of baseball operations David Stearns is not reactionary.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 27 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
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Leo, by contrast, has been making efforts to engage with conservative and traditionalist Catholics for much of his first year as Pope.—
Paul Elie,
New Yorker,
8 May 2026
-
Roberts, who has led the court since 2005, appeared to acknowledge the public's dimming approval of the court, shown in opinion polls over the past few years, as its conservative majority continues to push American law dramatically rightward.—
Andrew Chung,
USA Today,
7 May 2026
Noun
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Purrazzo also has the opportunity to help veterans and first-responders in need.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
8 May 2026
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In 1984, Monsanto and six other chemical companies agreed to pay a $180 million settlement to Vietnam veterans who were exposed to the chemical herbicide Agent Orange during the Vietnam War.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
7 May 2026
Adjective
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Crypto apps like Coinbase have begun to diversify into non-crypto assets, and more traditional retail finance apps like Robinhood have begun to dip their toes into areas like tokenized stocks.—
Jack Kubinec,
Fortune,
28 Apr. 2026
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People are in the right conditions, so meetings are more meaningful than in a traditional market where everything is back-to-back.—
Elsa Keslassy,
Variety,
28 Apr. 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
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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 8 May. 2026.
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