-tory

¹

1. a suffix occurring in loanwords from Latin, originally adjectival derivatives of agent nouns ending in -tor ( predatory ); also forming adjectival derivatives directly from verbs ( obligatory; transitory ).

-tory

²

1. a suffix occurring in loanwords from Latin, usually derivatives from agent nouns ending in -tor or directly from verbs, denoting a place or object appropriate for the activity of the verb: dormitory; repository .

Tory

³

[ tawr-ee, tohr-ee ]

noun

, plural To·ries,

1. a member of the Conservative Party in Great Britain or Canada.
2. a member of a political party in Great Britain from the late 17th century to about 1832 that favored royal authority over Parliament and the preservation of the existing social and political order: succeeded by the Conservative party.
3. (often lowercase) an advocate of conservative principles; one opposed to reform or radicalism.
4. a person who supported the British cause in the American Revolution; a loyalist.
5. (in the 17th century) a dispossessed Irishman who resorted to banditry, especially after the invasion of Oliver Cromwell and suppression of the royalist cause (1649–52).
6. a male or female given name.

adjective

1. of, belonging to, or characteristic of the Tories.
2. being a Tory.
3. (sometimes lowercase) opposed to reform or radicalism; conservative.

Tory

/ ˈtɔːrɪ /

noun

1. a member or supporter of the Conservative Party in Great Britain or Canada
2. a member of the English political party that opposed the exclusion of James, Duke of York from the royal succession (1679–80). Tory remained the label for subsequent major conservative interests until they gave birth to the Conservative Party in the 1830s
3. an American supporter of the British cause; loyalist Compare Whig
4. sometimes not capital an ultraconservative or reactionary
5. (in the 17th century) an Irish Roman Catholic, esp an outlaw who preyed upon English settlers

adjective

1. of, characteristic of, or relating to Tories
2. sometimes not capital ultraconservative or reactionary

Derived Forms

• ˈToryish, adjective
• ˈToryism, noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of -tory¹

< Latin -tōrius, equivalent to -tōr- -tor + -ius adj. suffix

Origin of -tory²

< Latin -tōrium, noun use of neuter of -tōrius -tory ¹

Origin of -tory³

1640–50; < Irish *tóraighe outlaw, bandit, derivative of tóir chase, pursuit

Word History and Origins

Origin of -tory¹

C17: from Irish tōraidhe outlaw, from Middle Irish tōir pursuit

Example Sentences

And, in the 2020s, as the modern Labour Party sought to jump start its popularity, courting recent Conservative voters, it was Rayner who described some Tory ministers as “a bunch of scum” – remarks she later apologised for.

From BBC

Tory MPs Graham Stuart and Alex Burghart - who was standing in for opposition leader Kemi Badenoch at the weekly Commons session - and Reform UK's Lee Anderson all made reference to the row when putting questions to Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner.

From BBC

Burghart raised a laugh on the Tory benches with a jibe about "real economists", as he accused the government of "stoking" inflation.

From BBC

Shadow Cabinet Office minister Alex Burghart, who was standing in for Tory leader Kemi Badenoch at Prime Minister's Questions, blamed the government's decision to agree above-inflation pay rises with unions and said last month's Budget would also push up inflation.

From BBC

After winning power, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer scrapped the previous Tory government's plan to send some migrants to Rwanda, which aimed to discourage crossings.

From BBC

Related Words

• archconservative
• counterrevolutionary
• regressive
• rightist
• ultraconservative