Loyalist Meaning
/ˈlɔɪəlɪst/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA person who is loyal to a cause, generally used as a political affiliation.
nounA person from the 13 Colonies (of British North America from the eastern seaboard of mainland North America) who was in favor of remaining in the British Empire during the American Revolution.
Sentence Examples
The loyalist group supported the monarch.
She was a loyalist during the civil war.
The brave loyalist remained true to the king.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
During the revolution, the ____ remained faithful to the old king and queen.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The political ____ remained faithful to his party even when its popularity began to decline recently.
Word Origin & History
From loyal + -ist. Piecewise doublet of legalist.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Most estimates place one-third of Americans as loyalist, one-third on the fence, to be swayed by whomever was winning, and one-third rebel."
— 1999, Harry M. Ward, The War for Independence and the Transformation of American Society, Psychology Press, →ISBN, page 35:
"Cobble Hill’s “first hipster bar” sports a “funky living room-ish setting” with “interesting” artwork on the walls and a “low-key” vibe in the air; a “cool” back garden and occasional “dorktastic trivia” contests lead loyalists to label it “one of the best on Atlantic” Avenue."
— 2008, Curt Gathje, editor, New York City Nightlife 2008/09, New York, N.Y.: Zagat Survey, →ISBN, page 122:
"In this sense, a new loyalist aesthetic can also be perceived in simplistic works such as anticommunist literature and melancholic works such as nostalgic fiction and prose."
— 2013, Shu-mei Shih, Sinophone Studies: A Critical Reader, Columbia University Press, →ISBN, page 101:
"An obvious characteristic of a kakistocrat is inserting unqualified loyalists into positions of power. Nepotism and kakistocracy go hand-in-hand."
— 2024 November 17, Howie Klein, “A Plurality Of American Voters Have Embraced Kakistocracy As Their Preferred Form Of Governance”, in DownWithTyranny, archived from the original on 18 Nov 2024:
"President-elect Donald Trump plans to nominate firebrand loyalist Kash Patel to serve as FBI director, an extraordinary move that would put a self-described enemy of the so-called deep state as the head of the nation’s top law enforcement agency — a role that would give Patel power to carry out Trump’s threats to go after his political opponents."
— 2024 November 30, Holmes Lybrand, Zachary Cohen, Evan Perez and Kristen Holmes, “Trump plans to replace current FBI director with firebrand Kash Patel, drawing bipartisan fire”, in CNN, archived from the original on 15 Jan 2025:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
During the revolution, the ____ remained faithful to the old king and queen.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The political ____ remained faithful to his party even when its popularity began to decline recently.