radical

1 of 2

adjective

rad·i·cal ˈra-di-kəl

Synonyms of radical next

: of, relating to, or proceeding from a root: such as

a(1)

: of or growing from the root of a plant

radical tubers

(2)

: growing from the base of a stem, from a rootlike stem, or from a stem that does not rise above the ground

radical leaves

: of, relating to, or constituting a linguistic root

: of or relating to a mathematical root

: designed to remove the root of a disease or all diseased and potentially diseased tissue

radical surgery

radical mastectomy

: of or relating to the origin : fundamental

: very different from the usual or traditional : extreme

: favoring extreme changes in existing views, habits, conditions, or institutions

: associated with political views, practices, and policies of extreme change

: advocating extreme measures to retain or restore a political state of affairs

the radical right

slang : excellent, cool

radicalness noun

radical

2 of 2

noun

: a root part

: a basic principle : foundation

: root sense 6

: a sound or letter belonging to a radical

: one who is radical

: free radical

also : a group of atoms bonded together that is considered an entity in various kinds of reactions or as a subunit of a larger molecule

: a mathematical expression indicating a root by means of a radical sign

: radical sign

Example Sentences

Adjective The computer has introduced radical innovations. There are some radical differences between the two proposals. The new president has made some radical changes to the company. a radical wing of extremists Noun He was a radical when he was young, but now he's much more moderate. radicals staged large, violent protests in the hopes of toppling the government See More

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

And these universes could have even more radical differences. —

Robert Lea, Popular Mechanics, 20 June 2023 Seeking more radical changes, the owners turned to former Vanity Fair editor Tina Brown. —

Michael S. Rosenwald, Washington Post, 14 June 2023 The anxiety born of this radical shift isn’t surprising. —

Vijay Pande, Fortune, 13 June 2023 Starting in the 1950s the area was overrun with them: Freudians mingling with devotees of the more radical R.D. Laing; Bruno Bettelheimites fraternizing with Jung enthusiasts. —

Mattie Kahn, Town & Country, 13 June 2023 During his imprisonment, Mr. Kaczynski copied his correspondence by hand and forwarded it to the University of Michigan’s Joseph A. Labadie Collection, an archive devoted to radical protest, which has amassed dozens of boxes of Kaczynskiana. —

Alex Traub, New York Times, 10 June 2023 Prime Video unveiled its four-episode limited series Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets on Friday in hopes of shedding light on the Duggar family's various scandals and their radical religious beliefs under the Institute in Basic Life Principles. —

Dory Jackson, Peoplemag, 5 June 2023 Arlekin founder Igor Golyak steered his company through a radical reinvention during the pandemic, creating the Zero Gravity (zero-G) Virtual Theater Lab, an interactive approach that attracted attention around the globe. —

James Sullivan, BostonGlobe.com, 1 June 2023 There had also been a concrete shift in voting trends and attitudes in the last 10 years, Valentin OR Valentim argued, but just as significant was the emboldening of those who were already anti-migration and worried about radical Islam — and the center right has changed accordingly. —

Andy Eckardt, NBC News, 27 May 2023

Noun

Once the Hartig net was firmly embedded in the radical of the new sprouts, and the old trees were dispatching sustenance, making up for the paltry rates of photosynthesis by the tiny new needles, the fungus could then grow new hyphal threads to explore the soil for water and nutrients. —

Suzanne Simard, Wired, 7 May 2021 The country had got stuck in a cultural time warp ever since its rulers panicked when Muslim radicals stormed Mecca in 1979. —

Nic Robertson, CNN, 12 June 2023 In the aftermath of the Continental Army’s retreat on September 15, the city was crawling with ardent Loyalists, New England radicals, British soldiers and Rebel spies—not to mention rumors that a fire was coming. —

Erik Ofgang, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 May 2023 Tear gas hung over the end point of the Paris march, Place de la Nation, where a huge black cloud lofted high above the trees after radicals set two fuel cans afire outside a building renovation site, police said. —

Alex Turnbull, ajc, 1 May 2023 The Biden rule would encourage aggressive campaigns by radicals and transgender activists to allow males to compete against girls and women and deprive them of athletic championships, medals, trophies, and related honors. —

David M. Simon, National Review, 16 Apr. 2023 There is of course a certain level of suspense surrounding whether the defendant, Pierre Goldman (Arieh Worthalter), a leftist radical who committed several robberies and is accused of murdering two pharmacists, will be acquitted. —

Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 May 2023 While marchers were largely peaceful, violence by radicals, an ever-present reality at French marches, marred the message, notably in Paris. —

Alex Turnbull, ajc, 1 May 2023 As with the ragtag group of radicals in their film, each brought their expertise to pull off a job that no one thought was possible. —

Katie Rife, Vulture, 12 Apr. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'radical.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English, from Late Latin radicalis, from Latin radic-, radix root — more at root

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1641, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler

The first known use of radical was in the 14th century

See more words from the same century

Cite this Entry

Style

“Radical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/radical. Accessed 30 Jun. 2023.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

radical

1 of 2 adjective

rad·i·cal ˈrad-i-kəl

: of, relating to, or proceeding from a root

: departing sharply from the usual or ordinary : extreme

: of or relating to radicals in politics

radically

-k(ə-)lē

adverb

radicalness noun

radical

2 of 2 noun

: root entry 1 sense 5

: a person who favors rapid and sweeping changes especially in laws and methods of government

: a group of atoms bonded together that is considered as a unit in various kinds of reactions

: a mathematical expression (as √͞ x) involving a radical sign

: radical sign

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English radical "relating to a root," from Latin radicalis (same meaning), from earlier radic-, radix "root" — related to eradicate, radish

Word Origin

Our word radical was formed from the Latin adjective radicalis, which simply meant "of or relating to a root." The Latin word radix meant "root." This meaning was kept when the word radicalis came into English as radical, but new senses developed too. Since a root is at the bottom of something, radical came to describe what is at the base or beginning, in other words, what is "basic, fundamental." Later, radical was used to describe something that was extremely different from the usual. Then, as a noun radical came to be applied to a person who wants to make extreme or "radical" changes in the government or in society. In mathematics, a radical sign indicates a root of a number. The words radish and eradicate also come from the Latin radix.