reactionary
adjective · noun
Simple meaning
Extremely conservative; opposing revolution.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
reeakshuhnuhreeSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ɹiˈækʃənɛɹi
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
adjective
chemistry
Of, pertaining to, participating in, or inducing a chemical reaction.
chemistry
In reaction to; as a result of.
politics
Extremely conservative; opposing revolution (such as the French Revolution); favoring a return to a "golden age" of the past.
noun
politics
One who opposes revolution, wanting to reverse it, favoring a return to a past golden age. Often used as a derogatory by revolutionaires.
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: (politics) Extremely conservative; opposing revolution (such as the French Revolution); favoring a return to a "golden age" of the past.
Used this way, reactionary is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It turns up most in government or politics contexts.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Moderate
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Where it naturally appears
- Government/politics
Nearby words
- ultraconservative , rarer, so it draws attention
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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