revolutionary

1 of 2

adjective

rev·​o·​lu·​tion·​ary ˌre-və-ˈlü-shə-ˌner-ē How to pronounce revolutionary (audio)
Synonyms of revolutionarynext
1
a
: of, relating to, or constituting a revolution
revolutionary war
b
: tending to or promoting revolution
a revolutionary movement/leader
c
: constituting or bringing about a major or fundamental change
a revolutionary new product
2
Revolutionary : 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
Morelia is named after José María Morelos, a revolutionary priest and key leader of the Mexican War of Independence. Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 25 June 2026 For me, rock and roll is a revolutionary act in and of itself. Jim Ryan, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026
Noun
Some imagery on the shirt, depicting Haitian revolutionaries from the early 1800s, was declared political and therefore not allowed, having fallen foul of FIFA’s often quite stringent rules around kits at World Cups. Nick Miller, New York Times, 17 June 2026 In the case of the World Cup jerseys, the mere implication of Dessalines, standing alongside his fellow revolutionaries, was enough to elicit a backlash. Julia Gaffield, The Conversation, 15 June 2026 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 27 Jun. 2026.

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

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