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 fogey
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of reactionary
Maximo Bratter, The Orlando Sentinel, 20 June 2025
Investors can view these holdings not as reactionary plays, but as strategic insurance against global volatility.
—Josh Brown,sean Russo, CNBC, 16 June 2025
Kail’s Louise presents a more honest style, a more reactionary and straightforward approach to the zaniness that envelops.
—David John Chávez, Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2025
Hugo returned to a hero’s welcome, and to the establishment of the Third Republic, which lionized him until it, too, was at last destroyed by the same forces of reactionary authoritarianism, in new uniforms, in 1940.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 13 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for reactionary
Adjective
Consequently, with a neutered DNC and Florida Democratic Party, activist groups have taken upon the reactionary, confrontational attitude that launched solid-left candidates like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Florida’s own Maxwell Alejandro Frost to Congress.
—Maximo Bratter, The Orlando Sentinel, 20 June 2025
Investors can view these holdings not as reactionary plays, but as strategic insurance against global volatility.
—Josh Brown,sean Russo, CNBC, 16 June 2025
Kail’s Louise presents a more honest style, a more reactionary and straightforward approach to the zaniness that envelops.
—David John Chávez, Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2025
Hugo returned to a hero’s welcome, and to the establishment of the Third Republic, which lionized him until it, too, was at last destroyed by the same forces of reactionary authoritarianism, in new uniforms, in 1940.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 13 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for reactionary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reactionary
Adjective
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Trump and Bondi, though, praised the court's conservative majority for limiting a federal judge's power to block a president's policy nationwide.—
Alexandra Hutzler,
ABC News,
27 June 2025
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Consider that for the average university lab, the indirect costs alone—including office support, computing, compliance, instruments, space and administrative support—average $8 million annually, and that's a conservative estimate.—
Siamak Baharloo,
Forbes.com,
27 June 2025
Adjective
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The traditional approach of training a robot on action with reinforcement was very slow, but generative AI allows for much greater generalization.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
24 June 2025
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AccuWeather meteorologist Tom Kines explained that the AccuWeather RealFeel Temperature factors in more variables than the traditional heat index, which considers only air temperature and relative humidity.—
Joe Edwards,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 June 2025
Noun
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The Penguins have a lot of veterans on this team, and Muse was hired primarily to guide the new wave of Penguins, which will arrive in the coming seasons.—
Josh Yohe,
New York Times,
20 June 2025
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According to Whitney Decker, Travis Decker, a veteran, was suffering from mental health issues at the time.—
Sophie Clark,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 June 2025
Adjective
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The reward was the most successful period in their history and an example that, in time, might embolden other clubs to challenge the orthodox thinking.—
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor,
New York Times,
13 May 2025
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Martinez is 29 years old, stands at 5-foot-11 with a 72-inch reach, and fights in an orthodox right-handed stance.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
22 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Reactionary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reactionary. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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