Counterrevolutionary

adj, noun

adj, noun ·8 syllables ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A person who opposes a revolution and attempts to reverse the changes made by it.

    "Two “counterrevolutionaries” were sentenced to death and executed publicly before cheering thousands in Shanghai Aug. 28, according to a Shanghai radio report received in Tokyo today."

  2. 2
    a revolutionary whose aim is to reverse the changes introduced by an earlier revolution wordnet
Adjective
  1. 1
    In opposition to a revolution.

    "In early 1990, he was sentenced to two years by the Loudi Prefecture Intermediate Court on a charge of "counterrevolutionary propaganda and incitement." He was then sent to Longxi Prison for reform through labor, and has since been released."

Adjective
  1. 1
    marked by opposition or antipathy to revolution wordnet
  2. 2
    relating to or being a counterrevolution wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
counterrevolutionistcounterrevolutionistcontrarevolutionarycontrarevolutionarycounter-revolutionist

Example

More examples

"The work of George Orwell has been subverted by the same kind of counterrevolutionary elements he fought in Spain and opposed during World War II."

Etymology

From counter- + revolutionary. Originally applied to thinkers who opposed themselves to the 1789 French Revolution.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.