Synonyms of extremist

extremist 1 of 2

adjective

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

• radical
• extreme
• rabid
• revolutionary
• fanatic
• ultra
• violent
• revolutionist
• subversive
• reactionary
• wild

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• conservative
• moderate
• traditional
• conventional
• middle-of-the-road
• liberal
• temperate
• orthodox
• unrevolutionary
• nonrevolutionary
• progressive

extremist

2 of 2

noun

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

• revolutionary
• radical
• rebel
• revolutionist
• anarchist
• leftist
• crazy
• insurgent
• reformer
• reformist
• lefty
• separatist
• progressive
• agitator
• red
• insurrectionist
• separationist
• secessionist
• subversive
• young Turk
• anarch

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• moderate
• conservative
• Tory
• rightist
• reactionary
• traditionalist
• middle-of-the-roader
• fuddy-duddy
• standpatter

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of extremist

Adjective

Yet, today, the State Department lists five times as many groups with extremist ideologies, as were designated in 2001, Hoffman noted. — Robin Wright, New Yorker, 11 Sep. 2026

Almost 3,000 victims would die in the orchestrated airborne homeland attacks by extremist group al-Qaeda led by Osama bin Laden. — Miami Herald, 11 Sep. 2026

Over the summer, Europol ran a campaign to target nihilistic violent extremist content online. — The Week Uk, TheWeek, 9 Sep. 2026

No political motive was given for his rampage, according to an EU document on the emerging threat of nihilistic extremist violence. — Lorne Cook, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2026

Germany's domestic intelligence classifies the AfD in Saxony-Anhalt as extremist. — Esme Nicholson, NPR, 6 Sep. 2026

His comments follow months of settler attacks in the West Bank, including a mosque torching, as Palestinian Americans accuse Israel’s security forces of tolerating extremist violence. — Ibrahim Hazboun, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026

The morning of September 11, two airplanes hijacked by Islamic extremist terrorists struck the World Trade Center in New York City. — René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 4 Sep. 2026

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), which has been declared extremist by the German government, will almost certainly win the most votes. — Mark Sappenfield, Christian Science Monitor, 4 Sep. 2026

Noun

Nearly 3,000 people died as a result of the attacks, including the 19 hijackers from the Islamist extremist group al-Qaida. — Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026

Studying extremists These two cases force researchers to grapple with how knowledge about violent movements is actually produced. — Arie Perliger, The Conversation, 31 Aug. 2026

But the settler violence has shown itself to be more widespread than a small band of extremists. — Oren Liebermann, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2026

In a Michigan swing district just north of Detroit, Democratic congressional candidate Christina Hines said voters are far more worried about affording fuel, groceries and healthcare than about left-wing extremists gaining ground in her party. — Steve Peoples, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2026

During the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, more than 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed in a campaign of mass murder orchestrated by Hutu extremists. — ABC News, 28 Aug. 2026

In 2022, far-right extremists stormed her reading, seizing viral headlines. — Tanya Fedak, Variety, 26 Aug. 2026

There still will be scammers, extortionists, extremists and others who try to take advantage of teens and adults. — Larry Magid, Mercury News, 26 Aug. 2026

Critical milestones in this transitional phase of the movement were the deadly confrontations between white Christian extremists and federal agents at Ruby Ridge, Idaho (1992), and Waco, Texas (1993). — Literary Hub, 25 Aug. 2026