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
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
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
semafor.com, 6 Feb. 2026
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
Rising worries over crime are upending Latin American politics, propelling rightist candidates to the top of polls across the region.
—semafor.com, 6 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rightist
Noun
-
Six Supreme Court justices were there—only the conservatives.—
Emma Hinchliffe,
Fortune,
29 Apr. 2026
-
But other conservatives, including Senator Ted Cruz, objected to the heavy hand of government approach.—
Brian Stelter,
CNN Money,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
President of baseball operations David Stearns is not reactionary.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
27 Apr. 2026
-
The margins in that 2-1 City defeat were razor-thin, whatever any more reactionary narratives might say.—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Skewering everything from leftist factional infighting to religious zealotry, the movie follows Brian (Graham Chapman), born in the same stable as Jesus and initially mistaken for him.—
David Faris,
TheWeek,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Rappers Mo Chara and Móglaí Bap, along with DJ Próvaí, have always put their leftist sympathies front and center on their music.—
Jon Dolan,
Rolling Stone,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The authors argued that the typical American diet contained excessive calories and fat and lacked sufficient amounts of complex carbohydrates and dietary fiber.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
30 Apr. 2026
-
This development enables high-performance batteries to function without the bulky pressurization hardware that often adds excessive weight and volume to electric vehicle battery packs.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The Anti-Defamation League says its Center on Extremism is investigating to see if the two 19-year-olds arrested have ties to any extremist groups.—
Terell Bailey,
CBS News,
25 Apr. 2026
-
The Justice Department alleges that the civil rights group known as the SPLC improperly raised millions of dollars to secretly pay leaders of the Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacist and extremist groups for inside information.—
Beth Gazley,
The Conversation,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The three liberal-leaning justices are not in attendance.—
Kathryn Palmer,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
-
By late October 2018, at age 25, she was being feted as the new ambassador for the Children’s Tumor Foundation, and was mere weeks away from earning a bachelor’s degree in liberal studies from Arizona State University (having transferred from UNC Charlotte).—
Théoden Janes,
Charlotte Observer,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rightist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rightist. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
