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
Toby Axelrod,
Sun Sentinel,
22 June 2026
Ossoff's campaign and Georgia Democrats have highlighted allegations involving Collins' past social media activity and associations with individuals accused of antisemitic or extremist views.
—
Zachary Bynum,
CBS News,
21 June 2026
The Niamey hub, already hit by Islamic State gunmen in January, sits at the crossroads of conflicts stretching across Mali, Burkina Faso, Nigeria and Chad, making Niger prime extremist battleground.
—
Wilson McMakin,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2026
The assessment, which was based on disruptions, incidents, and violent extremist propaganda, says the potentially enormous crowds make the parade a high priority for lone wolf attackers, the official said.
—
Mark Morales,
CNN Money,
18 June 2026
Prosecutors allege investigators recovered writings outlining extremist beliefs and planning materials related to the plot.
—
Brittany Miller,
FOXNews.com,
17 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
Jordan cited accusations that paid informants associated with the organization’s former field-source program encouraged participation in extremist events while working undercover inside hate groups.
—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
9 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
Jack Crosbie,
Rolling Stone,
17 June 2026
Many of these decisions were made so Netanyahu could retain the support of the far-right extremists keeping him in power and avoid a possible jail sentence on corruption charges.
—
Thomas L. Friedman,
Mercury News,
16 June 2026
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
Democrats have labeled him a far-right extremist and an election denier — a characterization Frazier has rejected.
—
Caleb Groves,
AJC.com,
29 May 2026
Adjective
On the other hand, the number of incidents at gatherings had risen within left-wing extremist circles, from 131 in 2024 to 214 last year; and in the right-wing extremist camp, 96 incidents at gatherings were reported — nearly double that of 2024.
—
Toby Axelrod,
Sun Sentinel,
22 June 2026
Ossoff's campaign and Georgia Democrats have highlighted allegations involving Collins' past social media activity and associations with individuals accused of antisemitic or extremist views.
—
Zachary Bynum,
CBS News,
21 June 2026
The Niamey hub, already hit by Islamic State gunmen in January, sits at the crossroads of conflicts stretching across Mali, Burkina Faso, Nigeria and Chad, making Niger prime extremist battleground.
—
Wilson McMakin,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2026
The assessment, which was based on disruptions, incidents, and violent extremist propaganda, says the potentially enormous crowds make the parade a high priority for lone wolf attackers, the official said.
—
Mark Morales,
CNN Money,
18 June 2026
Prosecutors allege investigators recovered writings outlining extremist beliefs and planning materials related to the plot.
—
Brittany Miller,
FOXNews.com,
17 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
Jordan cited accusations that paid informants associated with the organization’s former field-source program encouraged participation in extremist events while working undercover inside hate groups.
—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
9 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
Noun
Opportunists like the daycare group, which was selling weapons, and extremists — not the hobbyists.
—
Jack Crosbie,
Rolling Stone,
17 June 2026
Many of these decisions were made so Netanyahu could retain the support of the far-right extremists keeping him in power and avoid a possible jail sentence on corruption charges.
—
Thomas L. Friedman,
Mercury News,
16 June 2026
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
Democrats have labeled him a far-right extremist and an election denier — a characterization Frazier has rejected.
—
Caleb Groves,
AJC.com,
29 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for extremist
Adjective
-
Conceived as an exercise in radical reduction, the movement reflects a design philosophy that privileges essential structure over accumulation.
-
With just seven days to go until their July 2 deadline, proponents of Oregon’s PEACE Act are rushing to gather enough signatures to ensure that the radical hunting and fishing ban makes the ballot.
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.
-
The garments, designed by Stella Jean, a Haitian Italian fashion designer, featured a painting of the Haitian revolutionary Toussaint Louverture, Dessalines’ fellow revolutionary.
Adjective
-
The extreme conditions are driven by a heat dome, a high pressure weather system that can trap heat for days, even weeks.
-
That day in Redding, temperatures surged to 109 degrees, triggering an extreme heat warning for the area.
Adjective
-
San Joaquin County is seeing a rise in rabid bats, but public health officials said not to worry.
-
The moment Rekha moves to task 9, the tone shifts into rabid competition mode.
Cite this Entry
“Extremist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/extremist. Accessed 28 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
