as in moderate
avoiding major social change or extreme political ideas
several centrist candidates were elected, apparently in a reaction against the extremists
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as in reformer
a person who holds moderate views
the centrists will most likely rally behind the candidate who favors reforming the government program—not abolishing it entirely
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Recent Examples of centrist
Ben Guarino, Scientific American, 4 Oct. 2024
But neither can call themselves a centrist, so what are less partisan diehards to do?
—Amanda Luberto, The Arizona Republic, 4 Sep. 2024
Advertisement Some analysts believe that Ishiba was chosen as much for his image as a centrist who can counter challenges by the more liberal main opposition party as for his policy views.
—Mari Yamaguchi, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2024
Nixon, who had not yet revealed his crookedness and paranoia to the nation, was able to run as a levelheaded centrist; Trump is running more or less openly as a vengeful maniac.
—Andrew Marantz, The New Yorker, 23 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for centrist 
Noun
Several studies—including a 2024 report in PLOS ONE that quizzed the AI systems Vance mentioned and 22 others—have found that most large language models reply to political questions with centrist or moderately left-leaning answers, not radical views.
—Ben Guarino, Scientific American, 4 Oct. 2024
But neither can call themselves a centrist, so what are less partisan diehards to do?
—Amanda Luberto, The Arizona Republic, 4 Sep. 2024
Advertisement Some analysts believe that Ishiba was chosen as much for his image as a centrist who can counter challenges by the more liberal main opposition party as for his policy views.
—Mari Yamaguchi, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2024
Nixon, who had not yet revealed his crookedness and paranoia to the nation, was able to run as a levelheaded centrist; Trump is running more or less openly as a vengeful maniac.
—Andrew Marantz, The New Yorker, 23 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for centrist
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Cite this Entry
“Centrist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/centrist. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.
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