regressive left

noun

A characterization of the left which suggests that it paradoxically holds reactionary views by its tolerance of illiberal principles and ideologies (such as extremist Islamism) for the sake of multiculturalism and cultural relativism.

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Meanings

noun
  1. derogatorygovernmentA characterization of the left which suggests that it paradoxically holds reactionary views by its tolerance of illiberal principles and ideologies (such as extremist Islamism) for the sake of multiculturalism and cultural relativism.

Origin

The earliest use may be from a joke post on the Internet in 1998. Attested in print as early as 2002 in Chuck Morse’s The Gramsci Factor, and later popularized by Maajid Nawaz in 2012.

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Cite this entry
APA

regressive left. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/regressive%20left

MLA

“regressive left.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/regressive%20left. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “regressive left,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/regressive%20left.

Source: regressive left on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.