revolutionary

play

adjective rev·o·lu·tion·ary \ -shə-ˌner-ē \

Definition of revolutionary

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

play \-ˌlü-shə-ˈner-ə-lē\ adverb

—

revolutionariness

play \-ˈlü-shə-ˌner-ē-nəs\ noun

See revolutionary defined for English-language learners

See revolutionary defined for kids

Examples of revolutionary in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of revolutionary from the Web

Wow Taylor Swift's new album cover is so revolutionary and stuff.

— anna silman, The Cut, "The Funniest Reactions to Taylor Swift’s New Album," 23 Aug. 2017
So the idea of having physical contact with another human being — let alone intimate love — is something that makes their interactions revolutionary on a personal level as well as a political one.

— de elizabeth, Teen Vogue, "Olivia Wilde and Tom Sturridge Discuss the Cultural Impact of Broadway’s “1984”," 15 Aug. 2017
That’s not the only revolutionary element of the film.

— katie walsh, idahostatesman, "Radical ideas highlight mediocre film," 10 Aug. 2017
Revolutionary destruction is still destruction, and black folks are the casualties of these kinds of political visions.

— brittney cooper, Cosmopolitan, "Get Off Kamala Harris's Back," 7 Aug. 2017
As a result, millions of well-intentioned, reasonable liberals have been duped into supporting and elevating both groups, which do things like this: Happy birthday to the revolutionary #AssataShakur!

— david french, National Review, "Media, Tell the Truth: The Women’s March and Black Lives Matter Embrace Terrorists," 19 July 2017
Unlike Americans, Canadians haven’t been conditioned to see history in epic, revolutionary terms.

— jonathan kay, The Atlantic, "Why Canada Is Able to Do Things Better," 17 July 2017
A revolutionary court in Philly serves a hard-to-forget group of women.

— Philly.com, "Theater: New and Noteworthy," 9 July 2017
When launched in 1996, the network was seen as a revolutionary force bucking a largely conservative and autocratic status quo.

— taylor luck, The Christian Science Monitor, "Gulf Arabs vs. Qatar: Why all the fuss over Al Jazeera?," 7 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'revolutionary.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of revolutionary

1718

revolutionary Synonyms

Synonyms

extremist, fanatic (or fanatical), rabid, radical, extreme, revolutionist, ultra

Antonyms

middle-of-the-road, nonrevolutionary, unrevolutionary

Related Words

subversive, violent, wild; reactionary

Near Antonyms

conservative, moderate, temperate; conventional, orthodox, traditional; liberal, progressive

Other History Terms

agonistic, carpetbagger, enceinte, fief, historiography, paladin

revolutionary

noun

Definition of revolutionary

plural revolutionaries

1 :one engaged in a revolution

2 :an advocate or adherent of revolutionary doctrines

See revolutionary defined for English-language learners

Examples of revolutionary in a Sentence

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 of revolutionary from the Web

Key acts this weekend include the R&B revolutionaries SZA and Solange (Saturday); the joyous dance-floor innovator Kaytranada (Sunday); the fearless singer Serpentwithfeet (Saturday); and the gifted piano man Sampha (Saturday).

— New York Times, "Pop, Rock and Jazz in NYC This Week," 24 Aug. 2017
But once the Americans defeated the northern revolutionaries, the Americans decided to take control over the southern islands, changed the agreement, and a new war broke out.

— jonathan m. katz, The Atlantic, "The Revealing Myth of Pershing and the Pigs' Blood," 18 Aug. 2017
The shah’s human rights record was nowhere near as grim as Iran’s revolutionaries, or indeed President Jimmy Carter, believed.

— amir-hussein radjy, New Republic, "Rewriting the Iranian Revolution," 6 July 2017
This was a story of liberty — first, freedom from Europe through the bravery of the revolutionaries and the wisdom of the Framers.

— elliot kaufman, National Review, "Grace on the Fourth of July," 4 July 2017
The only difference is that the Cuban version includes images of revolutionaries, as well as a map of Cuba, a child in the clouds and a tidy pink house with a working fireplace.

— siobhan morrissey, miamiherald, "Pérez — both man and museum — look across the horizon to Cuba. Here’s what they see.," 23 June 2017
Using their own residence to foster art-making and communal empowerment, Monet and Selah are kindred spirits of every artist and revolutionary who’ve turned their home into a salon, a free zone, a temple of refuge.

— monica uszerowicz, miamiherald, "Miami poet Aja Monet makes us cry — and wants to help others do the same," 22 June 2017
Frederick was a revolutionary who believed in freedom and black revolution.

— kate shepherd, Chicago Reader, "News / Did You Read __________? Rauner calls ten-day special legislative session before the end of the fiscal year, and other Chicago news," 16 June 2017
Maduro's financial desperation is making bizarre bedfellows of Venezuela’s revolutionaries and some of global capitalism’s most prominent brands — including Goldman Sachs.

— nick miroff, Washington Post, "Stuck in a death spiral, Venezuela is borrowing money at any cost," 8 June 2017

First Known Use of revolutionary

1850

revolutionary Synonyms

Synonyms

crazy, extremist, radical, revolutionist

Antonyms

middle-of-the-roader, moderate

Related Words

young Turk; leftist, lefty, red; progressive, reformer, reformist; anarch, anarchist, subversive; agitator, insurgent, insurrectionist, rebel; secessionist, separationist, separatist

Near Antonyms

conservative, fuddy-duddy, reactionary, rightist, standpatter, Tory, traditionalist

Other Government and Politics Terms

agent provocateur, agitprop, autarky, cabal, egalitarianism, federalism, hegemony, plenipotentiary, popular sovereignty, socialism

REVOLUTIONARY Defined for English Language Learners

revolutionary

play

adjective

Definition of revolutionary for English Language Learners

: relating to, involving, or supporting a political revolution
: causing or relating to a great or complete change

revolutionary

noun

Definition of revolutionary for English Language Learners

: someone who leads, joins, or wants a revolution

REVOLUTIONARY Defined for Kids

revolutionary

play

adjective rev·o·lu·tion·ary \ ˌre-və-ˈlü-shə-ˌner-ē \

Definition of revolutionary for Students

1 :relating to or involving rebellion against a ruler or government

revolutionary leaders

2 :being or bringing about a big or important change

a revolutionary invention

3 capitalized :of or relating to the American Revolution

Learn More about revolutionary

See words that rhyme with revolutionary Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for revolutionary Spanish Central: Translation of revolutionary Nglish: Translation of revolutionary for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of revolutionary for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up revolutionary? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

revolutionary

Definition of revolutionary

revolutionarily

revolutionariness

Explore Merriam-Webster

Examples of revolutionary in a Sentence

Recent Examples of revolutionary from the Web

First Known Use of revolutionary

revolutionary Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Other History Terms

revolutionary

Definition of revolutionary

Examples of revolutionary in a Sentence

Recent Examples of revolutionary from the Web

First Known Use of revolutionary

revolutionary Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Other Government and Politics Terms

REVOLUTIONARY Defined for English Language Learners

revolutionary

Definition of revolutionary for English Language Learners

revolutionary

Definition of revolutionary for English Language Learners

REVOLUTIONARY Defined for Kids

revolutionary

Definition of revolutionary for Students

Learn More about revolutionary

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

Breathing Life Into 'Inspire'

Trending: Kim Jong Un: Trump a 'Dotard'

These Are Fighting Words

Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

Words of the Year: 1066