alt-left

See also: alt left

English

Alternative forms

• alt left

Etymology

By analogy with alt-right.

Noun

alt-left (uncountable)

1. (politics, derogatory) A segment of the political left that is prone to conspiracy theories and treating opposition as illegitimate, or is considered authoritarian in some other way.

   Antonym: alt-right

   Coordinate terms: alt-center, alt-light, alt-right, regressive left, far left

   • 2017 May 6, Jim Waterson, “The Rise Of The Alt-Left British Media”, in BuzzFeed UK:

     Turner approvingly noted that when The Canary – the doyen of the alt-left media outlets – first launched in late 2015 it was dubbed “the left-wing Daily Mail” by virtue of being written in a way that is accessible to everyone.

   • 2017 May 30, Patrick Maguire, “How Barry Gardiner went from wannabe vicar to high priest of Corbynism”, in New Statesman:

     According to the Skwawkbox, the excitable alt-left blog, he is “Labour’s media man on fire” – and he has “interviewers feeling the burn”.

   • 2017 June 23, Richard Thomas, Stephen Cushion, “From cat gifs to serious political clout: Buzzfeed^[sic] and the 2017 UK election”, in The Conversation:

     When it comes to explaining Jeremy Corbyn’s success at the British general election, much attention is paid to the rise of alt-left news sites such as The Canary and Evolve Politics.

   • 2018 September 25, Rafael Behr, “On Europe, Labour’s left is revealing its affinity to the ‘alt-right’”, in The Guardian:

     Corbyn’s team will never recognise in themselves a symmetrical alt-left to the “alt-right” menace they revile.

2. (US politics, derogatory) The part of the political spectrum that is considered too left-wing; the extreme or radical left.
   • 2016 November 24, 7, “The alt-left media cooking up glow ball wumming anti-Trump racket Group”, in alt.global-warming‎^[1] (Usenet):

     The alt-left trolls are not over it - now they decided to bus in protestors to protest against a democratic result. The alt-left media have been slow to bash these undemocratic revolting bussed in peasants.

   • 2016 December 10, Irie, “Just so I can save the alt left from wasting time posting on future Trump nominations/actions/thoughts, words or deeds”, in Political Euwetopia‎^[2] (Usenet):

     Sadly, the alt-left's previous apoplectic chicken little month is not limited to nominations, though...is it? It is focused on anything trump does, says, thinks, might have thought, could have thought...etc etc....

   • 2017 February 13, Joe Cooper, “There's An Alt-Left, And It's Trying To Make America Ungovernable”, in alt.politics.democrats‎^[3] (Usenet):

     Instead, today, a subversive alt-government is emerging, in line with the alt-left's growing resistance to use any means necessary to slow, stop and obstruct Trump’s agenda, from inside the government, to make America ungovernable.

   • 2017 August 16, Noah Bierman, “Trump again decries both sides' actions in Virginia”, in Los Angeles Times, page A1, A10:

     The President then explicitly and aggressively made the case for why the anti-racism counter-protesters were as much at fault as the armed white militias—a contention at odds with local police accounts. "What about the alt-left that came charging at the – as you say — the alt-right?" Trump challenged the reporters. "Do they have any semblance of guilt?"

Anagrams

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