radicalize

verb

rad·​i·​cal·​ize ˈra-di-kə-ˌlīz 

radicalized; radicalizing

transitive verb

: to make radical especially in politics

radicalization

ˌra-di-kə-lə-ˈzā-shən 

noun

Examples of radicalize in a Sentence

The war has radicalized an entire generation of young people.

Recent Examples on the Web

And what happened on October 7th just blew our friend group apart, because half of them were radicalized to be anti-Israel, and the other bordered on being Islamophobic. — David Frum, The Atlantic, 8 July 2026

The first was the Occupy Wall Street movement of 2011, which radicalized a new generation of young activists against capitalism. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 July 2026

As progressive attitudes toward Israel radicalized, the Gaza war unfolded under Biden and Harris. — W. James Antle Iii, The Washington Examiner, 27 June 2026

For more than a decade, YouTube has faced its fair share of scourges, including accusations of radicalizing users or harming their mental well-being. — Danielle Chemtob, Forbes.com, 23 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1830, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for radicalize

• actualize
• antagonize
• apologise
• apologize
• capitalize
• categorize
• characterize
• commercialize
• conceptualize
• contrariwise
• criminalize
• decentralize

Kids Definition

radicalize

verb

rad·​i·​cal·​ize ˈrad-i-kə-ˌlīz 

radicalized; radicalizing

: to make radical