counterrevolutionary

noun

Marked by opposition or antipathy to a current or earlier revolution.

Similar
counterrevolutionistcounter-revolutionist
UncommonScrabble 28

Meanings

nouncounterrevolutionary (uncountable)

alternative counter-revolutionary

  1. uncountablehistoryMarked by opposition or antipathy to a current or earlier revolution.
adjectivecounterrevolutionary (comparative more counterrevolutionary, superlative most counterrevolutionary)

comparative more counterrevolutionary · superlative most counterrevolutionary · alternative counter-revolutionary

  1. In opposition to a revolution.

    To go back in time, as it were, the counterrevolutionary bloc—Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt, and their allies in Yemen, Libya, and elsewhere—believes the future must be more authoritarian than ever.

    2018 November 3, Hassan Hassan, “The Arab Winter Is Coming”, in The Atlantic
    2 more examples

    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.

    1992, “Data on Pro-Democracy Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners in Hunan Province”, in Anthems of Defeat: Crackdown in Hunan Province, 1989-1992, Human Rights Watch, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 155, column 1

    It seems likely that states in the Middle East and North Africa could divide into three camps. […] In the second, Egypt and Tunisia will struggle to realize their revolutionary promise and ideals while resisting the counterrevolutionary forces of the old regimes.

    2011 March 28, Steven A. Cook, “After the Arab Spring”, in The Atlantic
nouncounterrevolutionary (plural counterrevolutionaries)

plural counterrevolutionaries · alternative counter-revolutionary

  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.

    1967 September 7, “2 Executed in Shanghai As ‘Counterrevolutionaries’”, in The New York Times, →ISSN

    Synonyms: counterrevolutionist

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA person who opposes a revolution and attempts to reverse the changes made by it.

More synonyms by meaning

adjectivemarked by opposition or antipathy to revolution

nouna revolutionary whose aim is to reverse the changes introduced by an earlier revolution

Similar
counterrevolutionistcounter-revolutionist

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

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

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan contrarevolucionari, contrarevolucionari
  • contrarevolucionariin opposition to a revolution
  • contrarevolucionariperson who opposes a revolution
Chinese Mandarin 反革命, 反革命
  • 反革命 (fǎngémìng)in opposition to a revolution
  • 反革命 (fǎngémìng)person who opposes a revolution
  • 反革命分子 (fǎngémìng fènzi)person who opposes a revolution
Czech kontrarevolucionář
  • kontrarevolucionářperson who opposes a revolution
Finnish vastavallankumouksellinen, vastavallankumouksellinen
  • vastavallankumouksellinenin opposition to a revolution
  • vastavallankumouksellinenperson who opposes a revolution
French contre-révolutionnaire, contre-révolutionnaire
  • contre-révolutionnairein opposition to a revolution
  • contre-révolutionnaireperson who opposes a revolution
German konterrevolutionär, Konterrevolutionär
  • konterrevolutionärin opposition to a revolution
  • Konterrevolutionärperson who opposes a revolution
  • Konterrevolutionärinperson who opposes a revolution
Greek αντεπαναστατικός, αντεπαναστάτης
  • αντεπαναστατικός (antepanastatikós)in opposition to a revolution
  • αντεπαναστάτης (antepanastátis)person who opposes a revolution
  • αντεπαναστάτρια (antepanastátria)person who opposes a revolution
Hungarian forradalomellenes
  • forradalomellenesin opposition to a revolution
Japanese 反革命の
  • 反革命の (hankakumei no)in opposition to a revolution
Korean 반혁명의
  • 반혁명의 (banhyeongmyeong'ui)in opposition to a revolution
Polish kontrrewolucyjny, kontrrewolucjonista
  • kontrrewolucyjnyin opposition to a revolution
  • kontrrewolucjonistaperson who opposes a revolution
  • kontrrewolucjonistkaperson who opposes a revolution
Russian контрреволюцио́нный, контрреволюционе́р
  • контрреволюцио́нный (kontrrevoljuciónnyj)in opposition to a revolution
  • контрреволюционе́р (kontrrevoljucionér)person who opposes a revolution
  • контрреволюционе́рка (kontrrevoljucionérka)person who opposes a revolution
  • ко́нтра (kóntra)person who opposes a revolution
Spanish antirrevolucionario, contrarrevolucionario
  • antirrevolucionarioin opposition to a revolution
  • contrarrevolucionarioin opposition to a revolution
  • contrarevolucionarioperson who opposes a revolution
Swedish kontrarevolutionär, kontrarevolutionär
  • kontrarevolutionärin opposition to a revolution
  • kontrarevolutionärperson who opposes a revolution
Ukrainian контрреволюціоне́р, контрреволюціоне́рка
  • контрреволюціоне́р (kontrrevoljucionér)person who opposes a revolution
  • контрреволюціоне́рка (kontrrevoljucionérka)person who opposes a revolution
Cite this entry
APA

counterrevolutionary. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/counterrevolutionary

MLA

“counterrevolutionary.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/counterrevolutionary. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “counterrevolutionary,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/counterrevolutionary.

Source: counterrevolutionary on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.