Unprincipled Tories Demonize the Right

What does the phrase "Right wing" mean, whether as a noun or an adjective? I ask because I read it bandied about carelessly not as a descriptive term, but as an insult, and its use in this fashion is starting to have sinister connotations. For the avoidance of doubt, let me stress that the sinistrality does not refer to those to whom the term is applied, but to those who apply it.