Reactionary

A "reactionary" is a negative term for resistance to left-wing or Marxist social experiments, or someone who always favors the status quo. The term comes from the reactions that happened during the French Revolution against the excess of Jacobins in the Reign of Terror; this origin is often overlooked by liberals who use the term as slander against conservatives.

History

The term comes from the Thermidorian Reaction that happened during the French Revolution against the excesses of the Jacobins in the Reign of Terror; this origin is often overlooked by liberals who use the term as slander against conservatives.

The word 'reactionary' first appears in English in a translation of a letter about the Coup of 18 Fructidor.