. . . as in neoconfederate, neoconservative, etc.

Our recent Neo- thread got me thinking about how and when the prefix "Neo-" is used.

By itself, "Neo-" means new or modern. However, imho when it prefixes confederate or conservative, it takes on a new meaning - namely "new and different", or "Modern and different.

In no instances I am aware of, does "Neo-," when prefixed on a word such as conservative or confederate, mean "new and the same."

Therefore, strictly speaking tacking on "Neo-" to confederate or conservative, without defining how the amended word is different, creates an essentially undefined new word.

That is to say, neoconfederate and neoConservative are undefined unless the person using the new name also defines what he or she means by the term - which is never done.

That, in a nutshell, is why I dislike words prefaced by neo- for most of the time it is left up to the listener to assume what the speaker means and in nearly every case, the assumption is that the new term is derogatory.