Reactionaries

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A group of individuals opposed to progressive changes, advocating for a return to traditional or past policies and structures
2. Those who resist reform or revolutionary changes, often seeking to restore a previous political or social order
3. People characterized by their firm opposition to modern innovations, preferring to maintain established customs and hierarchies

Etymology: The noun "reactionary" is older than its modern political sense, and it first appeared in English in the early 19th century as a term for people who wanted to reverse change. It was built from "reaction," which had acquired a political meaning during the French Revolution, when counter-revolutionaries sought to undo the upheavals of 1789 and restore the old order. The word "reaction" itself came from Latin "reactio," from "reagere," meaning "to act back," from "re-" (back) and "agere" (to do or drive). The plural form, "reactionaries," simply names more than one such person. What makes the term a little surprising is that it was often used by its opponents as a label, not a self-description. Few people in the 1800s proudly called themselves reactionaries, so the word carried an accusation of being stuck in the past, a sense it has kept ever since.

Synonyms: conservatives, right-wingers, traditionalists, opponents, resistors

Antonyms: progressives, revolutionaries, liberals, reformists, advocates