rightist 1 of 2

noun

as in conservative
a person whose political beliefs are centered on tradition and keeping things the way they are rightists opposed the new social programs

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

rightist

2 of 2

adjective

as in reactionary

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of rightist
Noun
That is, rightists who oppose aid to Ukraine tend to be skeptical of Israel and at least open to having anti-Semites in the Republican coalition. — Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2026 Earlier this month, Brazil’s Supreme Court sentenced the rightist Bolsonaro to 27 years in prison for plotting a coup following his 2023 election loss. — semafor.com, 22 Sep. 2025 Historians have pointed to Hodge’s early support of reactionary rightists, including industrialists, landlords, and businessmen—people who were associated with Japanese rule. — Kornel Chang september 19, Literary Hub, 19 Sep. 2025
Adjective
As rightist parties surge across the UK, Labour members are betting on Burnham — who easily won a parliamentary seat last week — to salvage their moribund agenda. — Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 21 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rightist
  1. conservative
  2. reactionary
  3. leftist
  4. excessive
  5. extremist
  6. liberal
Noun
  • Lawsuit attacks diversity efforts The lawsuit comes amid a broader crackdown on diversity initiatives nationwide as conservatives argue similar programs treat white people unfairly.
    — Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 23 July 2026
  • The ruling, which applied only in Texas, was seen as an opening for conservatives to challenge similar laws across the country.
    — Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 23 July 2026
Definition of conservative
Adjective
  • The writer and former white supremacist Richard Hanania was once the toast of MAGA-curious tech barons and reactionary intellectuals.
    — Gilad Edelman, The Atlantic, 19 July 2026
  • This included one of their players poking a finger into the ear of the Belgian penalty-spot protector Diego Moreira, and responding to the reactionary elbow to the tummy by going down, and staying down, on top of the penalty mark.
    — Geir Jordet, New York Times, 15 July 2026
Definition of reactionary
Adjective
  • And fortuitously, Napalm Death, who played a 19-minute set, espouse the same lefty politics as NPR, in fact maybe even a little more leftist, all things considered, since Barney Greenway wore a Crass T-shirt to the gig.
    — Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 15 July 2026
  • Despite the historical precedents, some prominent Democrats are cautious about leftist victories.
    — Kirk McClure, Fortune, 14 July 2026
Definition of leftist
Adjective
  • Treatment methods Before prescribing TRT, doctors generally look for potentially reversible or temporary factors, including obesity, certain medications, untreated obstructive sleep apnea, acute illness and excessive alcohol use.
    — Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 20 July 2026
  • Used thoughtfully, such tools can help organizations identify patterns associated with burnout, including staffing imbalances, unsustainable workloads, excessive overtime or workflow bottlenecks.
    — Jennifer Lee, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
Definition of excessive
Adjective
  • Russian authorities have designated Navalny and his Anti-Corruption Foundation as extremist and banned.
    — Yuliya Talmazan, NBC news, 17 July 2026
  • Mali’s junta has accused Algeria of backing local extremist rebels who are linked to the Muslim militant group al-Qaida.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 11 July 2026
Definition of extremist
Adjective
  • Kelaidis reads their popularity as evidence that historical scholarship has become a kind of liberal jeremiad, offering moral reassurance through historical analogy.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 July 2026
  • The voters filed the lawsuit in Dane County Circuit Court, located in Wisconsin's liberal capital city of Madison.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 23 July 2026
Definition of liberal

Browse Nearby Words

righting
rightist
rightists
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Rightist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rightist. Accessed 25 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on rightist

Nglish: Translation of rightist for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 24

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?
See More

Popular

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
chain-question-mark
Missing Link Quiz July 2026 Five seconds to figure out the word that fits bot...
See All