REFORMER

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does reformer mean? 

• REFORMER (noun)
  The noun REFORMER has 2 senses:

1. a disputant who advocates reform

2. an apparatus that reforms the molecular structure of hydrocarbons to produce richer fuel

  Familiarity information: REFORMER used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• REFORMER (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A disputant who advocates reform

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

crusader; meliorist; reformer; reformist; social reformer

Hypernyms ("reformer" is a kind of...):

controversialist; disputant; eristic (a person who disputes; who is good at or enjoys controversy)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "reformer"):

abolitionist; emancipationist (a reformer who favors abolishing slavery)

Utopian (an idealistic (but usually impractical) social reformer)

preservationist (someone who advocates the preservation of historical sites or endangered species or natural areas)

non-resistant; passive resister (a reformer who believes in passive resistance)

activist; militant (a militant reformer)

freedom fighter; insurgent; insurrectionist; rebel (a person who takes part in an armed rebellion against the constituted authority (especially in the hope of improving conditions))

flower child; hippie; hippy; hipster (someone who rejects the established culture; advocates extreme liberalism in politics and lifestyle)

feminist; libber; women's liberationist; women's rightist (a supporter of feminism)

conservationist; environmentalist (someone who works to protect the environment from destruction or pollution)

dry; prohibitionist (a reformer who opposes the use of intoxicating beverages)

demonstrator; protester (someone who participates in a public display of group feeling)

civil rights activist; civil rights leader; civil rights worker (a leader of the political movement dedicated to securing equal opportunity for members of minority groups)

Chartist (a 19th century English reformer who advocated better social and economic conditions for working people)

birth-control campaigner; birth-control reformer (a social reformer who advocates birth control and family planning)

Instance hyponyms:

Anthony Comstock; Comstock (United States reformer who led moral crusades against art and literature that he considered obscene (1844-1915))

Dix; Dorothea Dix; Dorothea Lynde Dix (United States social reformer who pioneered in the reform of prisons and in the treatment of the mentally ill; superintended women army nurses during the American Civil War (1802-1887))

Hus; Huss; Jan Hus; John Huss (Czechoslovakian religious reformer who anticipated the Reformation; he questioned the infallibility of the Catholic Church was excommunicated (1409) for attacking the corruption of the clergy; he was burned at the stake (1372-1415))

Owen; Robert Owen (Welsh industrialist and social reformer who founded cooperative communities (1771-1858))

Girolamo Savonarola; Savonarola (Italian religious and political reformer; a Dominican friar in Florence who preached against sin and corruption and gained a large following; he expelled the Medici from Florence but was later excommunicated and executed for criticizing the Pope (1452-1498))

Francis Everett Townsend; Townsend (United States social reformer who proposed an old-age pension sponsored by the federal government; his plan was a precursor to Social Security (1867-1960))

John Wilkes; Wilkes (English reformer who published attacks on George III and supported the rights of the American colonists (1727-1797))

Derivation:

reform (make changes for improvement in order to remove abuse and injustices)

Sense 2

Meaning:

An apparatus that reforms the molecular structure of hydrocarbons to produce richer fuel

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Context example:

a catalytic reformer

Hypernyms ("reformer" is a kind of...):

apparatus; setup (equipment designed to serve a specific function)

Holonyms ("reformer" is a part of...):

oil refinery; petroleum refinery (a refinery for petroleum)

Derivation:

reform (break up the molecules of)

 Context examples 

We were reformers—revolutionists—Nihilists, you understand.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

I don't like reformers, and I hope you never try to be one.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)