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Showing results for reactionary. Search instead for Fractionary.
Synonyms

reactionary

American  
[ree-ak-shuh-ner-ee] / riˈæk ʃəˌnɛr i /
Sometimes reactionist

adjective

  1. of, pertaining to, marked by, or favoring reaction, especially extreme conservatism or rightism in politics; opposing political or social change.

    Synonyms:
    ultraconservative
    Antonyms:
    radical

noun

plural

reactionaries

  1. a reactionary person.

    Synonyms:
    ultraconservative
    Antonyms:
    radical
reactionary British  
/ -ʃənrɪ, rɪˈækʃənərɪ /

adjective

  1. of, relating to, or characterized by reaction, esp against radical political or social change

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. a person opposed to radical change

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
reactionary Cultural  

  1. An extremely conservative person or position that not only resists change but seeks to return to the “good old days” of an earlier social order.

Other Word Forms

  • antireactionary noun
  • half-reactionary adjective
  • nonreactionary adjective
  • reactionarism noun
  • reactionaryism noun
  • reactionism noun
  • semireactionary adjective
  • unreactionary adjective

Etymology

Origin of reactionary

1830–40; reaction + -ary; compare French réactionnaire

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"If believing in God is reactionary, then we are also reactionary," he told his party's meeting in parliament on Tuesday.

From Barron's • Feb. 25, 2026

The democratic London dandy’s Parisian cousin was a reactionary.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 15, 2026

The economic pinch, mixed with thriving reactionary online culture and tense gender dynamics, creates a fertile soil for groups like Park's to recruit from.

From BBC • Dec. 19, 2025

Instead, it’s rooted in the visual and emotional language of horror films, especially the more reactionary tales of demonic possession, such as “The Exorcist” and “The Conjuring.”

From Salon • Oct. 27, 2025

Since he did not hesitate to explain his position in public every time he had the chance, for everyone but his own co-religionists he soon became a caricature of the picturesque, reactionary oligarch.

From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.