RIGHTIST Synonyms: 61 Similar and Opposite Words

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

In fact, he’s decided to go all the way from an angry leftist to a very angry rightist. — NBC news, 30 Aug. 2026 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 While America First drew supporters from across the political spectrum, it was most associated with rightists. — Justin Elliott, ProPublica, 26 Oct. 2022

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

Noun

William Curry, a 74-year-old retiree who described himself as a libertarian-leaning independent conservative, voted for Warner's Republican challenger, Bert Mizusawa, and Wittman.

— ALI SWENSON, Arkansas Online, 19 Sep. 2026
William Curry, a 74-year-old retiree who described himself as a libertarian-leaning independent conservative, voted for Warner’s Republican challenger, Bert Mizusawa, and Wittman.

— Ali Swenson, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of conservative

Adjective

Far from merely raising a reactionary fist in the air at the new science, Swift identified an attitude that is still around today — and one that has created many of the greatest challenges now facing educators.

— Dónal Gill, The Dial, 8 Sep. 2026
Almost every day, a news story about a film professional whose decision to prioritize trans solidarity or Palestinian solidarity brings a rash of reactionary takes.

— Sophie Monks Kaufman, IndieWire, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of reactionary

Adjective

The latest efforts to derail El-Sayed’s campaign include weaponizing his association with leftist Twitch streamer Hasan Piker.

— Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026
The history of oil overflows with examples of imperialistic overreach being confronted, eventually, by populist backlash, leftist governments, and asset seizures.

— Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of leftist

Adjective

There has been some discussion about whether tripling up on Chelsea in attack is excessive or puts too many eggs in one basket.

— Abdul Rehman, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
That includes the power outage shutting down cell phone networks and Sunburn deliberately not being preachy about the often-talked about mental health risks for young people from excessive technology use.

— Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of excessive

Adjective

Yet, today, the State Department lists five times as many groups with extremist ideologies, as were designated in 2001, Hoffman noted.

— Robin Wright, New Yorker, 11 Sep. 2026
Almost 3,000 victims would die in the orchestrated airborne homeland attacks by extremist group al-Qaeda led by Osama bin Laden.

— Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of extremist

Adjective

In contrast, Nate Coulter, executive director of the Central Arkansas Library System, filed a lawsuit regarding Act 372 of 2023, the common-sense library law, in Fayetteville before liberal Judge Timothy Brooks.

— Robert Steinbuch, Arkansas Online, 18 Sep. 2026
Other liberal economists disdain labor share as a useful metric, or see it as a distraction from sober policy analysis.

— Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of liberal

Browse Nearby Words

righting

rightist

rightists

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Rightist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rightist. Accessed 19 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of rightist

noun

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

aggrandize

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

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

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

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

Popular in Wordplay

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18

Popular

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Games & Quizzes