as in radical
being very far from the center of public opinion
their extremist views on religious issues set them apart from the rest of the community
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in revolutionary
a person who favors rapid and sweeping changes especially in laws and methods of government
extremists wanted to do away with everything, even though they had no thought-out plan for what to do afterwards
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of extremist
Tim Lister, CNN Money, 14 June 2026
While the anti-migration League has backed opening discussion, Meloni’s Brothers of Italy and centrist allies have been more cautious about endorsing a proposal linked to extremist circles, amid concerns over legal risks and internal divisions.
—ABC News, 13 June 2026
McCord, a former acting assistant attorney general at the Justice Department, noted that the use of confidential informants to gather intelligence on extremist groups mirrors investigative techniques routinely employed by federal law enforcement agencies, including the FBI.
—Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 9 June 2026
Behind a wall of tour buses was a counter-demonstration hosted by the extremist group Lehava, which opposes Jewish-Arab coexistence and gay relationships.
—Theia Chatelle, Sun Sentinel, 8 June 2026
The extremist group got its start in the days after the deadly 2017 Unite The Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, by former members of the neo-Nazi group Vanguard America.
—Will Carless, USA Today, 4 June 2026
Democrats’ moral double standard is being exposed in Maine as the party prepares to nominate Graham Platner, an extremist Senate candidate with more baggage than Denver International Airport on Thanksgiving weekend.
—Doug Friednash, Denver Post, 3 June 2026
No more extremist posturing to win primaries.
—Mary Ellen Klas, Boston Herald, 1 June 2026
Indeed, this was a more innocent time when conspiracy theories could still be fun and eccentric, and were less likely to be exploited by extremist actors.
—Richard Edwards, Space.com, 1 June 2026
James Pollard, Los Angeles Times, 15 June 2026
Also on Wednesday, FBI Director Kash Patel warned that the World Cup matches could be targets for extremists.
—ABC News, 11 June 2026
But, increasingly convinced that Mossadegh was an extremist allied with communism, the Eisenhower administration began to plot his ouster.
—Andrew Arsan, The New York Review of Books, 6 June 2026
Increasingly, however, that tent seems to have room for radicals and ideological extremists while pushing out Democrats who think independently.
—Doug Friednash, Denver Post, 3 June 2026
And when Khomeini broke that promise, my father was one of the first to stand up to him and the extremists who hijacked that revolution.
—Letters To The Editor, Washington Post, 2 June 2026
Republicans have sought to cast him as an effete extremist.
—Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 29 May 2026
Democrats have labeled him a far-right extremist and an election denier — a characterization Frazier has rejected.
—Caleb Groves, AJC.com, 29 May 2026
But Raman’s walked quite the tightrope of being a DSA’er who talks like a back-to-basics liberal while also hanging out with left-wing extremists like Hasan Piker.
—Sal Rodriguez, Daily News, 28 May 2026
Adjective
Yet the extremist group has mobilized its members and media outlets to ramp up criticism of the agreement, heaping pressure on Iranian negotiators who have been attempting to extract concessions from a US administration intent on weakening – and possibly ending – the Islamic Republic.
—Tim Lister, CNN Money, 14 June 2026
While the anti-migration League has backed opening discussion, Meloni’s Brothers of Italy and centrist allies have been more cautious about endorsing a proposal linked to extremist circles, amid concerns over legal risks and internal divisions.
—ABC News, 13 June 2026
McCord, a former acting assistant attorney general at the Justice Department, noted that the use of confidential informants to gather intelligence on extremist groups mirrors investigative techniques routinely employed by federal law enforcement agencies, including the FBI.
—Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 9 June 2026
Behind a wall of tour buses was a counter-demonstration hosted by the extremist group Lehava, which opposes Jewish-Arab coexistence and gay relationships.
—Theia Chatelle, Sun Sentinel, 8 June 2026
The extremist group got its start in the days after the deadly 2017 Unite The Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, by former members of the neo-Nazi group Vanguard America.
—Will Carless, USA Today, 4 June 2026
Democrats’ moral double standard is being exposed in Maine as the party prepares to nominate Graham Platner, an extremist Senate candidate with more baggage than Denver International Airport on Thanksgiving weekend.
—Doug Friednash, Denver Post, 3 June 2026
No more extremist posturing to win primaries.
—Mary Ellen Klas, Boston Herald, 1 June 2026
Indeed, this was a more innocent time when conspiracy theories could still be fun and eccentric, and were less likely to be exploited by extremist actors.
—Richard Edwards, Space.com, 1 June 2026
Noun
More recently, the Department of Justice charged the Southern Poverty Law Center — a civil rights nonprofit accused by Republicans of targeting conservatives in its work tracking extremists — with defrauding donors through payments to informants.
—James Pollard, Los Angeles Times, 15 June 2026
Also on Wednesday, FBI Director Kash Patel warned that the World Cup matches could be targets for extremists.
—ABC News, 11 June 2026
But, increasingly convinced that Mossadegh was an extremist allied with communism, the Eisenhower administration began to plot his ouster.
—Andrew Arsan, The New York Review of Books, 6 June 2026
Increasingly, however, that tent seems to have room for radicals and ideological extremists while pushing out Democrats who think independently.
—Doug Friednash, Denver Post, 3 June 2026
And when Khomeini broke that promise, my father was one of the first to stand up to him and the extremists who hijacked that revolution.
—Letters To The Editor, Washington Post, 2 June 2026
Republicans have sought to cast him as an effete extremist.
—Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 29 May 2026
Democrats have labeled him a far-right extremist and an election denier — a characterization Frazier has rejected.
—Caleb Groves, AJC.com, 29 May 2026
But Raman’s walked quite the tightrope of being a DSA’er who talks like a back-to-basics liberal while also hanging out with left-wing extremists like Hasan Piker.
—Sal Rodriguez, Daily News, 28 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for extremist
Adjective
-
In a world of collapsing trust in public-facing institutions, voters say they are drawn by Reform’s promises of a radical change from the old Labour-Conservative Party duopoly.—
Alexander Smith,
NBC news,
18 June 2026
-
John Maynard Keynes dreamed of an end to work, and some of the most radical and visionary progressive utopias today involve envisioning an abundant society beyond the need for labor.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 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
-
The garments, designed by Stella Jean, a Haitian Italian fashion designer, featured a painting of the Haitian revolutionary Toussaint Louverture, Dessalines’ fellow revolutionary.—
Julia Gaffield,
The Conversation,
15 June 2026
Adjective
-
After the game, the team were addressed by a group of government officials who, according to Ilunga at least, threatened them with extreme consequences if things went really badly in their game against Brazil.—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
-
After all the angst about traffic, high ticket prices, long security lines and extreme heat, stadium operations ran relatively smoothly.—
Michelle Kaufman,
Miami Herald,
16 June 2026
Adjective
-
The moment Rekha moves to task 9, the tone shifts into rabid competition mode.—
Tasha Robinson,
Vulture,
16 June 2026
-
Being in proximity to the alt-prog-metal act and its rabid audience had an impact on what came next from Failure, 1996’s Fantastic Planet.—
Steve Appleford,
SPIN,
16 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Extremist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/extremist. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
