A.Word.A.Day --reactionary

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reactionary

PRONUNCIATION:

(ree-AK-shuh-ner-ee)

MEANING:

adjective: Opposed to change, progress, or reform; extremely conservative.
noun: An opponent of change, progress, or reform.

ETYMOLOGY:

From French réactionnaire. The word was used to describe an opponent of the French Revolution. Earliest documented use: 1799.

USAGE:

"Microsoft's critics portray its behavior as reactionary, saying the company is trying to protect old business models."
Ashlee Vance; Chasing Pirates: Inside Microsoft's War Room; The New York Times; Nov 6, 2010.

See more usage examples of reactionary in Vocabulary.com's dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

All that glisters is not gold; / Often have you heard that told: / Many a man his life hath sold / But my outside to behold: / Gilded tombs do worms enfold. -William Shakespeare, playwright and poet (1564-1616)

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