In politics, RINO stands for "Republican In Name Only." It is a pejorative term used to describe politicians of the Republican Party who are deemed insufficiently loyal to the party, misaligned with the party's ideology, or have a voting record that is not in line with the party's positions
. The term has been used since the early 1900s and became popular in the 1990s
. It is often used by conservative Republicans to criticize those within their party who fail to adopt their stances
. The term is not limited to the US, as similar terms exist in other political contexts, such as "DINO" for Democrats
