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

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rightist

2 of 2

adjective

as in reactionary

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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
Israel launched the war in response to an October 2023 invasion by Hamas which blindsided Netanyahu’s religious-rightist government. — Dan Williams, Fortune, 9 Aug. 2026 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
  • Some conservatives were outraged online over the project plan, while others urged people to take a more measured approach, noting that the new stations are not about pushing any ideology.
    — Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 13 Aug. 2026
  • The proponents of those ideas believe that spreading them can shift the boundaries of debate — that nothing else will do so in a media environment where conservatives hold enormous power.
    — David Weigel, semafor.com, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of conservative
Adjective
  • The lesson here is not that Latinos are uniquely reactionary.
    — Eladio Bobadilla, Mercury News, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Sadly, there is a large and growing audience for this reactionary analysis.
    — James Kirchick, The Atlantic, 29 July 2026
Definition of reactionary
Adjective
  • There’s also Anne Carson’s 2005 collection of poetry and essays, Decreation, and the French leftist manifesto The Coming Insurrection published in 2007 by an anonymous author known as The Invisible Committee.
    — Selena Fragassi, SPIN, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Prime Minister Janez Janša recently scraped together a coalition that did away with the country’s leftist leader, Robert Golob.
    — Tyler Speicher, FOXNews.com, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of leftist
Adjective
  • San Francisco police officers would then proceed to smash the driver's window, drag the driver out and pepper-spray him — actions that a San Francisco Department of Police Accountability (DPA) report states were excessive.
    — Jose Fabian, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Even as the busy restaurant bar reaches blatantly excessive noise levels even before Ninh’s fully done with his equipment, neighboring businesses are already having their patience tested.
    — Josh Slater-Williams, IndieWire, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of excessive
Adjective
  • This is especially true among young people who now spend countless hours on gaming site chatrooms that promote extremist hate and engage with chatbots programmed to maximize engagement, often with harmful consequences.
    — Michael Posner, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
  • One of his personal highlights was Mark Pellington’s 1999 political thriller Arlington Road, starring Jeff Bridges as a history professor who suspects his neighbor, played by Tim Robbins, of being involved in an anti-government extremist movement.
    — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of extremist
Adjective
  • Tottenham Hotspur starting the transfer window as the Premier League’s most liberal and audacious spenders feels like a long time ago.
    — Elias Burke, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Just this week, Russia’s supreme court blocked Yabloko, the only remaining liberal, anti-war party on the ballot for parliamentary elections, from running.
    — Clare Sebastian, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of liberal

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Cite this Entry

“Rightist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rightist. Accessed 15 Aug. 2026.

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