centrist
noun
cen·trist
ˈsen-trist 
1
often capitalized
: a member of a center party
2
: a person who holds moderate views
centrist
adjective
Examples of centrist in a Sentence
The candidate hopes to appeal to centrists nationwide.
the centrists will most likely rally behind the candidate who favors reforming the government program—not abolishing it entirely
Recent Examples on the Web
By contrast, Cummings sees the two cautious, hedging leaders in charge of Britain’s main political parties—and the relief among some centrists that the candidates are not so different from each other—in rather darker terms.
—
Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024
But as Paris prepares to host the Olympics this summer, and as the country’s ruling political centrists gird for a challenge from the far-right in European Parliament elections, the farmer protests have the potential to be particularly destabilizing.
—William Booth, Washington Post, 29 Jan. 2024
The chamber, which Democrats control with a bare 51-vote majority, is unlikely to convict Mayorkas, but the trial would put centrists up for reelection in a tough spot politically.
—David Sivak, Washington Examiner, 9 Jan. 2024
Moreover, in those countries, multiparty democracy and peaceful transfers of power have worked: Poland’s October 2023 election, which brought the liberal centrist Donald Tusk to power after years of rule by the right-wing Law and Justice Party, is proof of that.
—Andrei Kolesnikov, Foreign Affairs, 7 Mar. 2024
Polls show that, if an election were held now, his theocratic coalition would lose badly—by as many as thirty seats in the hundred-and-twenty-seat Knesset—to a coalition of secular centrists led by the former chiefs of staff Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot, who joined the war cabinet in October.
—Bernard Avishai, The New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2024
Not his true believers, but some independent and Republican centrists are.
—Richard Vatz, Baltimore Sun, 7 Feb. 2024
Has everyone forgotten about Goldilocks, the GOAT centrist?
—Isaiah Freeman-Schub, Robb Report, 18 Jan. 2024
President Joe Biden ran in 2020 as a centrist, but federal inter-vention defines his first term.
—Rich Karlgaard, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024
Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024
But as Paris prepares to host the Olympics this summer, and as the country’s ruling political centrists gird for a challenge from the far-right in European Parliament elections, the farmer protests have the potential to be particularly destabilizing.
—William Booth, Washington Post, 29 Jan. 2024
The chamber, which Democrats control with a bare 51-vote majority, is unlikely to convict Mayorkas, but the trial would put centrists up for reelection in a tough spot politically.
—David Sivak, Washington Examiner, 9 Jan. 2024
Moreover, in those countries, multiparty democracy and peaceful transfers of power have worked: Poland’s October 2023 election, which brought the liberal centrist Donald Tusk to power after years of rule by the right-wing Law and Justice Party, is proof of that.
—Andrei Kolesnikov, Foreign Affairs, 7 Mar. 2024
Polls show that, if an election were held now, his theocratic coalition would lose badly—by as many as thirty seats in the hundred-and-twenty-seat Knesset—to a coalition of secular centrists led by the former chiefs of staff Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot, who joined the war cabinet in October.
—Bernard Avishai, The New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2024
Not his true believers, but some independent and Republican centrists are.
—Richard Vatz, Baltimore Sun, 7 Feb. 2024
Has everyone forgotten about Goldilocks, the GOAT centrist?
—Isaiah Freeman-Schub, Robb Report, 18 Jan. 2024
President Joe Biden ran in 2020 as a centrist, but federal inter-vention defines his first term.
—Rich Karlgaard, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'centrist.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near centrist
Cite this Entry
“Centrist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/centrist. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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