reactionary

English

Etymology

From French réactionnaire. Used in the time of the French revolution to refer to a person opposing the revolution; as in a person favoring a reaction to the revolution. First known usage in English in a translation of Lazare Carnot's letter on the Conspiracy of the 18th Fructidor published in London, 1799.

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ɹɪˈækʃənəɹi/, X-SAMPA: /rI"{kS@n@ri/
• Hyphenation: re‧ac‧tion‧ary

Adjective

reactionary (comparative more reactionary, superlative most reactionary)

1. Opposed to change; urging a return to a previous state.
2. Very conservative.
3. (chemistry) Of, pertaining to, participating in or inducing a chemical reaction.
   • 2013, Brandon Smith, Are Individuals The Property Of The Collective?

     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.

Antonyms

• nonreactionary

Translations

opposed to change

• German: reaktionär (de)
• Greek: αντιδραστικός (el) (antidrastikós) m
• Icelandic: afturhaldssamur (is) m
• Italian: codino (it) m, codina (it) f

• Norwegian: reaksjonær (no)
• Polish: reakcyjny (pl), reakcjonistyczny (pl)
• Russian: противодействующий (ru) (protivodéjstvujuščij)
• Sicilian: cudìnu (scn) m

Noun

Wikipedia reactionary (plural reactionaries)

1. One who is opposed to change.
2. One who is very conservative.

Translations

such a person

• German: Reaktionär (de) m
• Greek: αντιδραστικός (el) (antidrastikós) m
• Icelandic: afturhaldsseggur (is) m
• Italian: codino (it) m, codina (it) f, reazionario (it)

• Norwegian: reaksjonær (no) m
• Polish: reakcjonista (pl)
• Russian: реакционер (ru) (reakcionér) m
• Sicilian: cudìnu (scn) m