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
Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 29 Sep. 2025
This cycle of reactionary leadership not only stifles innovation but also erodes trust and morale within organizations.
—Glenn Llopis, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
Graham Hillard, The Washington Examiner, 3 Oct. 2025
When Atsu was first revealed as the game’s protagonist, reactionaries jumped to disavow the sequel, citing bad-faith reasoning that failed to hide their prejudices.
—Alyssa Mercante, Rolling Stone, 25 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for reactionary
Adjective
That Watson hasn’t used these moments of victimhood to become reactionary is part of what seems to anger Rowling.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 29 Sep. 2025
This cycle of reactionary leadership not only stifles innovation but also erodes trust and morale within organizations.
—Glenn Llopis, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
Noun
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
When Atsu was first revealed as the game’s protagonist, reactionaries jumped to disavow the sequel, citing bad-faith reasoning that failed to hide their prejudices.
—Alyssa Mercante, Rolling Stone, 25 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for reactionary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reactionary
Adjective
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At the same time, Takaichi is known for her hardline conservative views, like her mentor former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
12 Nov. 2025
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This tradition blurs the lines between right and left, progressive and conservative.—
Tyler Austin Harper,
The Atlantic,
11 Nov. 2025
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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Current challenges Building Electric Road Systems (ERS) is significantly more expensive than traditional highway construction.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Nov. 2025
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Some suggest this is because climate change is interfering with the flowering and pollination of some of the animals’ traditional sources of food.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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The late Presbyterian pastor Tim Keller warned that America’s two-party system draws arbitrary lines across orthodox Christianity.—
Abby McCloskey,
Mercury News,
7 Nov. 2025
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An ultra-orthodox school sat adjacent to the library, and its staff supplied the settlers with sleeping mats and air conditioning for the long night.—
Ryan Byrnes,
Literary Hub,
7 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Reactionary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reactionary. Accessed 26 Nov. 2025.
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