extremist 1 of 2

Definition of extremistnext
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

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

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
Adjective
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 Khaire accused Mohamud of deploying state security forces against political opponents and alleged that troops trained and equipped by international partners to fight the al-Shabab extremist group had been used against opposition figures. ABC News, 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 Last week, at the request of the Department of Justice, a federal appeals court threw out the convictions of four members of far right extremist group the Oath Keepers. CBS News, 31 May 2026 This internal vote looks less like simple sticker shock than a warning from members that CTU leadership has drifted too far from the classroom and too deep into extremist politics. The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 27 May 2026 While the Zizian ideology is extremist in nature, a less extreme version of the same fears surrounding the cataclysmic potential of AI are a common concern among AI alignment experts, machine-learning engineers, and even frontier AI companies. Daniel Boguslaw, ArsTechnica, 27 May 2026
Noun
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 Instead, domestic terrorism laws allow for targeting and surveillance of extremists, with charges sometimes bearing terrorism enhancements and sometimes excluding them altogether. Daniel Boguslaw, ArsTechnica, 27 May 2026 From churches to synagogues, mosques to grocery stores, extremists have targeted innocent people because of race, religion, ethnicity, or identity. Michael Brunker, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for extremist
Adjective
  • In some respects, Penryn is the ideal setting for such a radical experiment to take place.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 June 2026
  • But for somebody who has alternative therapies, how scared are people of doing something as radical as editing their genome?
    Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 11 June 2026
Noun
  • Kings, poets, scientists and revolutionaries wanted to meet him and sought his advice.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 June 2026
  • Al Pacino plays a CIA operative orchestrating a covert plan to eliminate the Cuban revolutionary.
    Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 9 June 2026
Adjective
  • However, rather than moving in any extreme direction, Korkmaz said the Turkish mill is seeing demand for realistic pieces combined with stronger finishes, bolder aesthetics and more attitude.
    Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 9 June 2026
  • Trump has opened our eyes to the consequences of extreme greed, corruption, cruelty, and utter disregard for the Constitution and the rule of law.
    Robert B. Reich, Hartford Courant, 9 June 2026
Adjective
  • The encounter with the rabid coyote occurred in Huntersville, according to a news release.
    Laura Horne, Charlotte Observer, 11 June 2026
  • There are very few hints in art of dogs being dirty, vicious or rabid.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 June 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Extremist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/extremist. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on extremist

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster