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
Brian C. Keegan, The Conversation, 26 Mar. 2026
Anyone apoplectic about the reactionary policies coming out of Washington should rest assured that Connecticut’s legislature is hard at work to balance the scales.
—Letters To The Editor, Hartford Courant, 23 Mar. 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
This logic linked Ehrlich’s ecological carrying capacity, lifeboat ethics – the idea that wealthy nations risked being swamped by immigration – and reactionary anxieties about demographic change.
—Brian C. Keegan, The Conversation, 26 Mar. 2026
Anyone apoplectic about the reactionary policies coming out of Washington should rest assured that Connecticut’s legislature is hard at work to balance the scales.
—Letters To The Editor, Hartford Courant, 23 Mar. 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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Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor apologized Wednesday for publicly criticizing Justice Brett Kavanaugh over a ruling on immigration stops — and seeming to imply that her conservative colleague's views were shaped by an out-of-touch upbringing.—
Joe Walsh,
CBS News,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Thomas, the Supreme Court’s senior conservative member, spoke broadly, not referencing specific contemporary events or political figures to make his case.—
Devin Dwyer,
ABC News,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Cheadle clearly figured out that his main job here is to cue her up and get out of her way; that is greatly to this veteran actor’s credit.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Apr. 2026
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Retired salesman and Air Force veteran Bud Levell, 72, has spent most of his life repairing old radios, machines and anything with wires.—
Amelia Mugavero,
CBS News,
17 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported two separate Israeli strikes on two vehicles, one in the seafront town of Saadiyat and another on a coastal highway in neighboring Jiyeh, around 12 miles south of Beirut and outside Hezbollah's traditional strongholds.—
Tucker Reals,
CBS News,
15 Apr. 2026
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Last December, the airline launched service between Van Nuys Airport (VNY) in Los Angeles and Kahului Airport (OGG) in Maui, offering a semi-private experience that sits somewhere between commercial first class and a traditional private jet.—
Susmita Baral,
Travel + Leisure,
14 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Dioceses across the country are reporting the highest amount of converts in decades, many of them drawn in by orthodox Catholic influencers.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
-
This is the orthodox paddock view of intra-team title battles.—
Alex Kalinauckas,
New York Times,
9 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Reactionary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reactionary. Accessed 17 Apr. 2026.
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