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revisionist

revisionist

20 7.9
A person who wants to change common political or historical beliefs
  • noun
  • /rɪˈvɪʒənɪst/
translation icon : revisionista
  • Even today, the bulk of our art museums are headed by directors for whom revisionist ideas are the norm.
  • revisionist historian
  • revisionist history
  • revisionist interpretation

Examples

  • Traditionalist theologians support and defend these norms as absolute; revisionist theologians question the absolute status of these norms.

    Academic text (2008)
  • The critic of this view is always a revisionist who works on his culture from within.

    Academic text (1991)
  • And while they do this, check it out a push forward revisionist history.

  • And the powers that become the revisionist powers, almost all were on the losing side.

  • - This is demonstrably revisionist.

  • In one sentence, I had thus succeeded in getting the essence of the revisionist case into the public domain.

    Academic text (1993)
  • Soon historians, called revisionists, argued in support of that position.

  • The first implied a struggle for political democracy and was championed by the revisionist Social Democrats.

    Academic text (1992)
  • Art historian Carol Duncan describes the layout of the ideal revisionist museum:

    Academic text (1999)
  • The historian wrote a book as a revisionist, arguing that the events were misinterpreted in previous accounts.

Synonyms

iconoclast
vsrevisionist
  • Formal
6 9.6

A person who strongly criticizes common beliefs or institutions

leans more toward changing interpretations rather than aggressive attacking
reformist
vsrevisionist
6 6.1

A person who wants to change political or social systems

often challenges existing interpretations rather than only promoting gradual reform
reconstructionist
vsrevisionist
1 7.2

A person who wants to change and improve old beliefs and social institutions

focuses more on altering interpretations rather than reconstructing institutions
deviationist
vsrevisionist
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A person who disagrees with their political party's official views

challenges or changes wider established beliefs beyond a single party doctrine
revisionary
vsrevisionist
8.8

A person who argues for changing accepted ideas or views

has identical meaning and use when challenging established interpretations
ambonoclast
vsrevisionist
9.9

A person who questions or opposes long-held beliefs and traditions

focuses more on changing interpretations in political or historical contexts
gainsayer
vsrevisionist
  • Formal
9.9

A person who says no to an idea or decision

aims instead to rework or change established interpretations

Antonyms

Holding strongly to old customs and resisting change

2 5.7

A person who follows rules and usual ways instead of trying new ideas

How Reformist

radical
79 6.3
reformer
100 3.5
revisionist
20 7.9
critic
314 3.2

Surface Forms

revisionist singular
revisionists plural

Morphology

revisionist = revision (semi-transparent) = revision + ist

Agentive suffix '-ist' attaches to the noun 'revision'; although the form is regular, the political or historiographical connotations of 'revisionist' are specialized and may not be fully predictable for all learners.

Etymology

The word revisionist comes from revise, which means 'to look again' or 'change' and has the same root as vision ('see'). So a revisionist is someone who 'looks again' at accepted ideas and wants to change them, especially in history or politics.