Reactionary Meaning
/ɹiˈækʃən(ə)ɹi/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
adjExtremely conservative; opposing revolution (such as the French Revolution); favoring a return to a "golden age" of the past.
adjOf, pertaining to, participating in, or inducing a chemical reaction.
Sentence Examples
A conservative is not always a reactionary.
Reactionary groups were overthrown by the people.
Conservatives think I'm an SJW, and liberals think I'm a reactionary.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The conservative politician was labeled a ____ because he opposed all new reforms in parliament.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The ____ faction within the party opposed any reform and sought to return to traditional values.
Word Origin & History
Borrowed from French réactionnaire, equivalent to reaction + -ary. Used in the time of the French revolution to refer to a person opposing the revolution; as in favoring a reaction against the revolution.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"There's a fairly simple reason for the embrace of radicalism on the right, and it has to do with the reactionary imperative that lies at the core of conservative doctrine. […] If he is to preserve what he values, the conservative must declare war against the culture as it is."
— 2011 September 29, Corey Robin, The Reactionary Mind: Conservatism from Edmund Burke to Sarah Palin, New York: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, →OL, page 25:
"[Jeffrey] Epstein was interested in transhumanism, a theory of human perfection via technological manipulation that—like its predecessor, eugenics—is shot through with racist and reactionary ideas."
— 2019 August 7, Marissa Brostoff, Noah Kulwin, “The Right Kind of Continuity”, in Jewish Currents, archived from the original on 14 Jan 2025:
"Within certain MAGA circles, to criticize someone for being too racist or reactionary is a betrayal, signaling an acceptance of the very liberal morality that the movement’s vanguard seeks to destroy."
— 2025 November 4, Michelle Goldberg, “Nick Fuentes Is Becoming Charlie Kirk’s Successor”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 04 Nov 2025:
"Psychiatry extends the theory into biology in the belief that all human behavior is nothing more than a series of reactionary chemical processes in the brain that determine pre-coded genetic responses built up from the conditioning of one’s environment."
— 2013 April 11, Brandon Smith, “Are Individuals The Property Of The Collective?”, in Alt-Market, archived from the original on 05 Mar 2016:
"The regulator noted that reduced service levels and passenger numbers helped deliver strong performance, with fewer reactionary delays."
— 2020 December 16, “Network News: ORR praises Network Rail's response to pandemic”, in Rail, page 13:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The conservative politician was labeled a ____ because he opposed all new reforms in parliament.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The ____ faction within the party opposed any reform and sought to return to traditional values.