JISUPOSTEnglish
ENGLISH DICTIONARY

Left

/ˈlɛft/ · adjective

Meaning

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: ←.

Definitions by Sense

  1. 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: ←
  2. Anticlockwise, particularly when describing a change in direction or orientation.
  3. (geography) 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.
  4. (politics) Left-wing; pertaining to the political left.
  5. On the left side.
  6. Towards the left side.
  7. Towards the political left.
  8. The left side or direction.

Example Sentences

Near-synonym: port
The left side.
The road up ahead contains a left bend.
Rotate the bolt to the left to loosen it.
The Eiffel Tower is on the left bank of the Seine.
The following dispatch has been received from Viceroy Alexieff, dated Mukden, March 22: “Gen. Mitchenkow reports that on March 17 our scouts approached Anju and observed on the left bank of the Ching Chong river, opposite Anju, retrenchments made by the enemy.
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.
Who does not know the practical man who in his own field denounces socialism as "pernicious rot" but when he steps outside his subject spouts socialism like any left journalist.

Synonyms for left

left wingleftistssinistersinistralport9 o'clockoddremainingleftfieldleftoverlarboardleft overleftistunexpendedleft handleft-handleft-wingleftishfar leftleft-of-centerliberal

Antonyms for left

rightdexterdextralstarboardcenter

Related Words

left-handleft-handedleft overnearleftovernighremainingleftfieldoddliberalleft-of-centerportlarboardleftishfar leftleft-wingleftistleft wingunexhaustedunexpended

Word Forms

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does left mean?

Left means 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: ←.

What is a synonym for left?

Common synonyms include left wing, leftists, sinister, sinistral.

What is the opposite of left?

Possible antonyms include right, dexter, dextral, starboard.

How do you use left in a sentence?

Near-synonym: port

Sources & Attribution

FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0

Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.