as in conservative
a person whose political beliefs are centered on tradition and keeping things the way they are
rightists opposed the new social programs
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as in reactionary
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Recent Examples of rightist
semafor.com, 22 Sep. 2025
Historians have pointed to Hodge’s early support of reactionary rightists, including industrialists, landlords, and businessmen—people who were associated with Japanese rule.
—Kornel Chang
september 19, Literary Hub, 19 Sep. 2025
Noun
Earlier this month, Brazil’s Supreme Court sentenced the rightist Bolsonaro to 27 years in prison for plotting a coup following his 2023 election loss.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for rightist
Noun
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House conservatives had expressed opposition to earmarks within the package.—
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Meghan McCain, a conservative who left the program in 2021, has regularly targeted her former workplace on her own podcast.—
Adjective
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Most parents’ responses are reactionary in nature.—
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What’s up with reactionary old French screen legends?—
Adjective
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The election of Jimmy Carter was the apex of leftist Christianity in America.—
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Sometimes that has led decisionmakers to cut deals with non-democratic actors or during the Cold War outright destabilize perceived leftist democracies.—
Adjective
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Diane Nygaard, an Oceanside resident and representative of the nonprofit Preserve Calavera, said the developer’s request for 14 waivers of city development standards is excessive.—
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Shorter days and excessive time indoors?—
Adjective
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It was widely attributed to the same extremist collective, though not claimed explicitly by the Vulkangruppe.—
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Local officials have attributed the power outage to an arson attack from The Vulkangruppe (The Volcano Group), a left-wing extremist group.—
Adjective
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But Jennings' liberal attitude toward the airing of his opinions, regardless of their content, almost cost him the job.—
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But in years since, the district has grown more liberal.—
Cite this Entry
“Rightist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rightist. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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