Word of the Day

: February 3, 2009

unreconstructed

adjective un-ree-kun-STRUK-tud

What It Means

: not reconciled to some political, economic, or social change; also : holding stubbornly to a particular belief, view, place, or style

unreconstructed in Context

My uncle, a self-designated unreconstructed liberal who wrote frequent letters to the editor, was never one to keep his opinions to himself.

Did You Know?

The reorganization and reestablishment of the seceded states in the Union after the American Civil War is referred to as the Reconstruction. In 1867 a writer for Harper's Weekly came up with the word "unreconstructed" for political candidates not reconciled to the outcome of the War and the changes enacted during the Reconstruction. The word immediately caught on with readers and has been used to refer to intransigent or dyed-in-the-wool partisans ever since. The word has also been used outside of political and social contexts. For instance, a person might be "an unreconstructed rocker" or "an unreconstructed romantic."