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ultraleft

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ultraleft

  • /ˌʌl.tɹəˈlɛft/ US, UK

Where it comes from

Ultimately a calque of Russian ультралевый (ulʹtralevyj, “ultraleft”, adjective), in the sense of "pertaining to extreme or uncompromising leftist ideology." From ультра- (ulʹtra-, “ultra; extremely”) + левый (levyj, “left”, adjective), equivalent to ultra- + left. Originally applied pejoratively by the Bolsheviks against libertarian socialists and early left communists, and later by Stalinists against Trotskyists; now also used neutrally to refer to certain ideologies associated with left communism or traditional Marxism. The modern meanings are partially semantically loaned from French ultra-gauche.

adjective more ultraleft · further ultraleft · farther ultraleft · most ultraleft · furthest ultraleft · farthest ultraleft

  1. Of or pertaining to ultraleftism. This rejection of anything connected with bourgeois democracy would later become associated mainly with ultraleft radicalism, but its beginnings were another matter.
  2. derogatory Of a leftist movement or ideology: extreme and uncompromising; sectarian.
  3. Extremely left-wing.

noun ultralefts · ultra-left

  1. collective, uncountable, usually The strain or strains of leftism often associated with left communism, which practice rejection of both social democracy and state socialism as well as opposition to Leninism; i.e, ultraleftism.
  2. uncountable, usually The left communist tendency characterized by a synthesis of Dutch-German council communism and Italian left communism.
  3. broadly, uncountable, usually Italian left communism; Bordigism.
  4. derogatory, uncountable, usually Leftism collectively considered uncompromising and sectarian, especially anti-Leninist Marxism.
  5. countable, rare, usually An adherent of ultraleftism.
  6. uncountable, usually The most extreme ideologies of the political left.

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MLA

"ultraleft." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/ultraleft. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

ultraleft. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/ultraleft

Chicago

"ultraleft." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/ultraleft.

BibTeX
@misc{ultraleft_2026,
  title = {ultraleft},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/ultraleft},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}