Communist: a person who believes that the people should own all industry and means of production, but the government should control it. Mostly describes the economic system of the old Soviet Union. Misunderstood and widely used for generations as a pejorative term by conservatives for anyone who isn’t conservative.

Socialist: a person who believes that the people should own all industry and means of production, and the people should control it. A “co-operative” is a socialist construct.

Democratic Socialist: a person in favor of capitalism as an economic system, but with robust protections and measures against the extreme economic inequality and centralization of power that capitalism creates. Includes an understanding that we collectively are only as successful as the least successful among us. Misunderstood and widely confused with the above two definitions by conservatives.

Progressive: a person who understands that future success of society is dependent on adaptation and change, open-ness to new ideas and ways if doing things, embrasure of science and education as a means to overcome ignorance, superstition, xenophobia, and racism.

Leftist/Liberal: in principle anyone who ascribes to the above two definitions. In common vernacular also a pejorative term used by conservatives to describe anyone who isnt a hard right conservative (i.e., centrists).

Conservative: opposite of progressive; a person who wants to conserve old methods and ideals at the expense of progress and equality. Progress toward a fair and equitable society which offers everyone real opportunity invariably inconveniences and offends other people and factions. Therefore conservatives aren’t a homogeneous group. Similar to the way that ‘Protestant’ is defined by what it’s not (Catholic), ‘conservative’ is comprised of various ideals that aren’t progressive. These include religious zealots, LGBTQ intolerant, xenophobes, anti-science, anti-education, anti-democracy, fascists, nazis, conspiracy theorists, oligarchs, plutocrats, nepotists, the 1%. Basically the conservative moniker is adopted by anyone who stands to be disenfranchised (either financially or morally) by progress toward systemic fairness and equal opportunity. Interestingly, many of the factions within the conservative roundup do not have a mutual interest. For example the oligarchs are most interested in coalescing wealth and power whereas the religious zealots want a Christian state. Either way, many disparate groups within the conservative faction share a perceived persecution.

Regressive: a weaponized conservative with the added desire to roll back progress to an earlier period: i.e., eliminating reproductive healthcare, eliminating contraception, making it harder for certain groups to vote.

Contrarian semantics aren't clever.

What makes a progressive different from a anarchist, communist, or a dem soc who have defined values and beliefs?

State ownership of utilities for one.