I. adjective
Synonyms: conservative 1, die-hard, fogyish, old-line, orthodox, right, tory, traditionalistic
II. noun
one who strongly resists change and often favors a prior condition
he is a staunch political reactionary
Synonyms: Blimp, Bourbon, Colonel Blimp, diehard, reactionarist, reactionist, royalist, ultraconservative, white; compare diehard 1, radical
Related Word: bitter-ender, conservative, intransigent, rightist, right-winger, standpatter; fogy, mossback
Contrasted words: extremist, radical, revolutionary, revolutionist, ultraist; liberal, progressive, reformer