leftist vs. rightist

leftist vs. rightist: What's the difference?

Leftist and rightist refer to general positions on the political spectrum of beliefs, with leftist used as a noun referring to a person with progressive views or as an adjective to describe such views. Rightist is used to refer to a person with conservative and reactionary views or describe such views. The terms originated from the seating positions of different factions in European legislatures. The farther “right,” the more conservative someone or something is; the farther “left,” the more liberal.