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English · Thesaurus
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left¹
- /ˈlɛft/ Ireland, UK
- /ˈɫɛft/ US
- /ˈlɛf/
- /ˈlɛfʔ/
Rhymes with -ɛft
Where it comes from
From Middle English left, luft, leoft, lift, lyft, from Old English left, lyft (“weak, clumsy, foolish”), attested in Old English lyftādl (“palsy, paralysis”), from Proto-Germanic *luft-, from *lubjaną (“to castrate, lop off”) (compare dialectal English lib, West Frisian lobje, Dutch lubben), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)lewp-, *(s)lup- (“hanging limply”). Compare Scots left (“left”), North Frisian lefts, leeft, leefts (“left”), West Frisian lofts (“left”), obsolete Dutch lucht, leftsch, lefts, lefs (“left”), dialectal Dutch loof (“weak, worthless”), archaic Low German lucht (“left”).
adjective further left · farther left · more left · lefter · furthest left · farthest left
-
Designating the side of the body toward the west when one is facing north; the side of the body on which the heart is located in most humans; the opposite of right. This arrow points to the reader's left: ←
Near-synonym: port
Similar: sinister, sinistral, port · Opposite: right, dexter, dextral
- Anticlockwise, particularly when describing a change in direction or orientation. The road up ahead contains a left bend.
- Designating the bank of a river (etc.) on one's left when facing downstream (i.e. facing forward while floating with the current); that is, the north bank of a river that flows eastward. If this arrow: ⥲ shows the direction of the current, the tilde is on the left side of the river. The Eiffel Tower is on the left bank of the Seine.
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Left-wing; pertaining to the political left.
It should be noted that there is now no intelligentsia that is not in some sense "Left". Perhaps the last right-wing intellectual was T. E. Lawrence. Since about 1930 everyone describable as an “intellectual” has lived in a state of chronic discontent with the existing order.
Opposite: right
- Relating to the beginning or earlier part of a phrase. left dislocation
adverb Left
noun lefts · Left
- The left side or direction.
- The left-wing political parties as a group; citizens holding left-wing views as a group. The Left left workers behind, thinking they had a winning demographic coalition. It hasn't really worked out for them yet.
- The left hand or fist.
- A punch delivered with the left fist. The world 'as got me snouted jist a treat; Crool Forchin's dirty left 'as smote me soul.
-
A wave breaking from left to right (viewed from the shore).
Opposite: right
left²
Where it comes from
From Middle English left, variant of laft (“remaining, left”), from Old English lǣfed, ġelǣfed, past participle of lǣfan (“to leave”). More at leave.
verb
- simple past and past participle of leave (“depart, separate from; (cause or allow to) remain”). There's not much food left.
adjective
- leftover, remaining
left³
Where it comes from
From Middle English levit, ilevet, y-levyd, from Old English ġelȳfd, ġelȳfed, past participle of Old English ġelȳfan, lȳfan (“to allow, permit”), equivalent to leave (“to give leave to, allow, grant, permit”) + -ed.
verb
- simple past and past participle of leave (“permit”). We were not left go to the beach after school except on a weekend.
Left⁴
proper noun the Left · left
- The political left wing seen as a whole, as distinguished from an individual left-wing political party. Maybe it’s true that “the Left can’t meme,” if “the Left” refers to the earnest suburban revolutionary with an undercut and a nose ring who typically stalks your replies on X.
Opposite: Right
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: left-hand, left-handed, left over, near, leftover, nigh, remaining, leftfield, odd, liberal, left-of-center, port, larboard, leftish, far left, left-wing
proper noun
Opposite: Right
Translations
Every language
adj west side of the body when one is facing north
| Español | izquierda |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 왼 oen, 왼쪽 oenjjok |
| 日本語 | 左 hidari |
| 中文 | 左 zuǒ |
| हिन्दी | बायाँ bāyā̃, बाएँ bāẽ |
| Kiswahili | kushoto |
| Português | esquerdo |
| Français | gauche |
| Deutsch | link |
| Italiano | sinistro |
| Ελληνικά | αριστερός aristerós |
| Română | stâng |
| Русский | ле́вый lévyj |
| Tiếng Việt | trái |
| العربية | يَسَار yasār, شِمَال šimāl |
| עברית | שְׂמֹאל smol |
adj pertaining to the political left — see also leftist
| Español | de izquierda |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 左翼 sayoku, 左派 saha |
| हिन्दी | वामपंथ vāmpanth |
| Kiswahili | kushoto |
| Português | de esquerda, esquerdista |
| Deutsch | links |
| Ελληνικά | αριστερός aristerós |
| Русский | ле́вый lévyj, либера́льный liberálʹnyj |
| עברית | שׂמאֹלָן smolán |
adv on the left side
| Español | a la izquierda |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 왼쪽에 oenjjoge |
| 日本語 | 左に hidari-ni |
| 中文 | 左邊 /左边 zuǒbiān, 在左邊 /在左边 zài zuǒbiān |
| हिन्दी | बायाँ bāyā̃, बाएँ bāẽ |
| Português | à esquerda |
| Français | à gauche |
| Deutsch | links |
| Italiano | a sinistra |
| Ελληνικά | αριστερά aristerá |
| Română | la stânga |
| Русский | сле́ва sléva |
| Tiếng Việt | ở bên trái |
| العربية | يَسَارًا yasāran, شِمَالًا šimālan |
adv towards the left side
| Español | a la izquierda |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 왼쪽으로 oenjjogeuro |
| 日本語 | 左へ |
| 中文 | 向左 xiàng zuǒ |
| हिन्दी | बायें bāyẽ, बाएँ bāẽ |
| Português | esquerdo, sestro |
| Français | à gauche |
| Deutsch | links, nach links |
| Italiano | a sinistra |
| Ελληνικά | αριστερά aristerá |
| Română | la stânga |
| Русский | нале́во nalévo, вле́во vlévo |
| العربية | إِلَى اَلْيَسَار ʔilā l-yasār, إِلَى اَلشِّمَال ʔilā š-šimāl |
| עברית | שמאלה smóla |
noun the left side
| Español | izquierda |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 왼쪽 oenjjok, 좌측 jwacheuk |
| 日本語 | 左 hidari |
| हिन्दी | बाएँ bāẽ |
| Kiswahili | kushoto |
| Português | esquerda |
| Français | gauche |
| Deutsch | Linke |
| Italiano | sinistra |
| Ελληνικά | αριστερά aristerá |
| Română | stânga |
| Русский | ле́вый lévyj |
| العربية | يسار |
noun the ensemble of left-wing political parties
| Español | izquierda |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 좌익 jwaik |
| 日本語 | 左翼 sayoku |
| Kiswahili | kushoto |
| Português | esquerda |
| Français | gauche |
| Deutsch | Linke |
| Italiano | sinistra |
| Ελληνικά | αριστερά aristerá |
| Română | stângă |
| Русский | ле́вый lévyj |
| العربية | يَسَار yasār |
| עברית | שְׂמֹאל |
adj leftover
| 日本語 | 残った nokotta |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 餘下 /余下 yúxià, 剩下 shèngxia |
| हिन्दी | शेष śeṣ |
| Kiswahili | kushoto |
| Português | deixado, sobrar, restar |
| Français | restant |
| Deutsch | übrig |
| Italiano | rimasto |
| Ελληνικά | έμεινα émeina |
| Română | rămas |
| Русский | оста́вшийся ostávšijsja, остально́й ostalʹnój |
name left-wing political parties as a group; citizens holding left-wing views as a group
| Português | Esquerda |
|---|
Talk about this word "left." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/left. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. left. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/left "left." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/left.Cite this
@misc{left_2026,
title = {left},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/left},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
