revolutionary

1 of 2

adjective

rev·​o·​lu·​tion·​ary ˌre-və-ˈlü-shə-ˌner-ē How to pronounce revolutionary (audio)
1
a
: of, relating to, or constituting a revolution
revolutionary war
b
: tending to or promoting revolution
c
: constituting or bringing about a major or fundamental change
a revolutionary new product
2
capitalized : of or relating to the American Revolution or to the period in which it occurred
revolutionarily adverb
revolutionariness noun

revolutionary

2 of 2

noun

plural revolutionaries
1
: one engaged in a revolution
2
: an advocate or adherent of revolutionary doctrines

Examples of revolutionary in a Sentence

Adjective a candidate with a lot of crazy, revolutionary ideas that no one seems to be going for revolutionary forces that were soundly defeated before reaching the capital Noun after the collapse of the Russian monarchy, the moderate socialists briefly governed until being overthrown by the Bolshevik revolutionaries at first the government was not worried about this small band of unarmed revolutionaries
Recent Examples on the Web
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Adjective
When the supermodel was introduced to French cosmetic doctor Jean-Louis Sebagh in Paris, France, she was spellbound by his revolutionary approach to age maintenance, which utilizes the extract of the rare Charentais cantaloupe. Izzy Baskette, PEOPLE, 8 Oct. 2025 The Sandinista Revolution and the revolutionary upheavals of the 1980s more broadly held symbolic global importance because of the Cold War. Tim Brinkhof, JSTOR Daily, 8 Oct. 2025
Noun
The appearance of redcoats in the streets convinced many of those in the latter camp, along with some former revolutionaries, to side with the British cause. Time, 9 Oct. 2025 Birth of a revolutionary Where did all this anti-monarchical fire come from? Matthew Redmond, The Conversation, 9 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for revolutionary

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

revolution + -ary entry 2

Noun

revolution + -ary entry 1, after French révolutionnaire

First Known Use

Adjective

1718, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

1850, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of revolutionary was in 1718

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Revolutionary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/revolutionary. Accessed 12 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

revolutionary

adjective
rev·​o·​lu·​tion·​ary
ˌrev-ə-ˈlü-shə-ˌner-ē
1
a
: of, relating to, or involving a revolution
revolutionary war
b
: favoring revolution
c
: being or bringing about a big or important change
a revolutionary new product
2
capitalized : of or relating to the American Revolution
revolutionary noun

More from Merriam-Webster on revolutionary

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