reactionary
re·ac·tion·ary/ɹiˈæk.ʃəˌnɛɚ.i/adjective, noun
reactionary is spelled R-E-A-C-T-I-O-N-A-R-Y: 11 letters and 4 syllables (re·ac·tion·ary). It appears 1.7 times per million words in written English, the 21,798th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, reactionary means “Extremely conservative; opposing revolution (such as the French Revolution); favoring a return to a "golden age" of the past” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in reactionary?
| Letters | 11: R-E-A-C-T-I-O-N-A-R-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4: re·ac·tion·ary |
| In writing | 1.7 times per million words; the 21,798th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is reactionary?
Reactionary appears 1.7 times per million words in written English, the 21,798th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce reactionary?
- UK /ɹiˈækʃən(ə)ɹi/
- US /ɹiˈæk.ʃəˌnɛɚ.i/
- US /ɹiˈæk.t͡ʃəˌnɛɚ.i/
Reactionary has 4 syllables, split re·ac·tion·ary in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-reactionary.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of reactionary
- more reactionary comparative
- most reactionary superlative
- reactionaries plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does reactionary mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Extremely conservative; opposing revolution (such as the French Revolution); favoring a return to a "golden age" of the past.
- 2
Of, pertaining to, participating in, or inducing a chemical reaction.
- 3
In reaction to; as a result of.
noun
- 1
One who opposes revolution, wanting to reverse it, favoring a return to a past golden age, often used derogatorily by revolutionaires.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Reactionary in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | réactionnaire |
| German | reaktionär , Reaktionär, Reaktionärin |
| Portuguese | reacionário |
| Spanish | reaccionario, involucionista |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does reactionary come from?
Borrowed from French réactionnaire, equivalent to reaction + -ary. Used in the time of the French revolution to refer to a person opposing the revolution; as in favoring a reaction against the revolution.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).