traditionalist

plural traditionalists

1. A person who adheres to tradition, especially in cultural or religious practices.

   Pullman traditionalists will no doubt maintain that the full-service-at-every-seat principle is popular with their clientele; […].

   1962 December, “A new Pullman era?”, in Modern Railways, page 362

   2 more examples

   He speaks at conferences across the country and posts prolifically on social media on topics ranging from the ethics of Covid-19 vaccines (which he has questioned) to the Latin Mass favored by traditionalists (and discouraged by Pope Francis) to local conflicts between priests and bishops.

   2023 October 2, Ruth Graham, “‘Two Trains Charging at Each Other’: A Texas Bishop Takes On the Pope”, in The New York Times, →ISSN

   Among the frontrunners before the conclave began were Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s secretary of state; Luis Antonio Tagle, a reformer from the Philippines; Péter Erdő, a traditionalist from Hungary; Robert Sarah, a cardinal from Guinea who criticised Francis’s papacy; and the moderate US cardinal Robert Prevost.

   2025 May 8, Angela Giuffrida and Harriet Sherwood, “White smoke from Sistine Chapel chimney signals election of new pope”, in The Guardian

2. climbingA traditional climbing climber.

comparative more traditionalist · superlative most traditionalist

1. Adhering to tradition, especially in religious practices.

   1 more example

   The day before, Cardinal Burke and other traditionalist prelates made public an exchange of letters with Francis in which they aired grave doubts about the legitimacy of a major assembly of the world’s bishops and laypeople that will, on Wednesday, begin discussing some of the most sensitive topics in the church.

   2023 October 3, Jason Horowitz, “Conservative Catholics, Relegated to Sidelines, Denounce Papal Gathering”, in The New York Times, →ISSN