gauchiste

left-wing, leftist

adjective goh-SHEEST Rare

Origin: French 'gauche' (left) + '-iste'

Usage Note

Gauchiste often carries a pejorative connotation in contemporary French, implying radical or dogmatic left-wing views, beyond the neutral de gauche. It can also be used as a noun: un gauchiste, une gauchiste. The term gained prominence during the events of May 1968.

Examples

"Les médias l'ont qualifié de gauchiste invétéré."

Natural Translation

The media labelled him a hardcore leftist.

Related Words

Explore French by topic

FrenchNow

French Liaison Rules: When to Link Words (and Not To)

French liaison links a silent final consonant to the next vowel. Learn the obligatory, forbidden, and optional rules, plus the s→z and d→t sound shifts.

June 4, 2026 5 min read

FrenchNow

Avoir or Être? Picking the Right Past-Tense Helper

Use avoir for the passé composé unless the verb is reflexive or one of ~16 DR MRS VANDERTRAMP motion verbs, which take être and force agreement.

June 4, 2026 5 min read

FrenchNow

Faire in French: To Make, To Do, and More

Faire in French means more than make and do: master faire vs rendre, weather and sports idioms, the causative, and the mistakes English speakers make.

June 4, 2026 6 min read

FrenchNow

Telling Time in French: Hours, Quarters, 24-Hour

Telling time in French means Il est cinq heures, et quart, et demie, and the 24-hour clock like quatorze heures trente. Read any French schedule.

June 4, 2026 5 min read