revisionist

[ ri-vizh-uh-nist ]

noun

1. an advocate of revision, especially of some political or religious doctrine.
2. a reviser.
3. any advocate of doctrines, theories, or practices that depart from established authority or doctrine.

adjective

1. of or relating to revisionists or revisionism.
2. attempting to reevaluate and restate the past based on newly acquired standards.

Other Words From

• anti·re·vision·ist noun adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of revisionist¹

First recorded in 1860–65; revision + -ist

Example Sentences

In the meantime, this aggressively revisionist supermarket, as indicated in Butler’s novel, has become part pharmacy, part a site of repentance for past consumption.

From Los Angeles Times

I'm sure he has a revisionist history viewpoint there, but he thinks, “I'm going to have a friend now” and then when that's taken away from him, he's pretty crushed.

From Salon

It is based on a 1995 novel of the same name, which retells the story of “The Wizard of Oz” in a revisionist light, with the wicked witch as the main character.

From Los Angeles Times

“Knowing who the speakers and panelists are,” wrote the veteran pseudoscience debunker David Gorski, “I know that ‘assessing the past’ will likely consist of highly revisionist history ... claiming that public health interventions didn’t work.”

From Los Angeles Times

Instead, they’ve gone backward, and even the most revisionist of histories doesn’t make that OK.

From Los Angeles Times