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

Oman Air had barred him from flying over concerns about extremist views, but FlyDubai later hired him; questions remain about how thoroughly the airline and Israeli security officials vetted him. — Samy Magdy, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2026

The co-pilot has been identified as Hamam al-Hammami, a Middle Eastern source told Fox News, adding that he was barred from flying with Oman Air — his country's airline — in 2024 due to concerns about extremist views. — Michael Sinkewicz , Elizabeth Pritchett, FOXNews.com, 3 Oct. 2026

Reitman started to think about the parallels between Mariyam’s and Andrew’s stories — two disillusioned kids finding extremist communities online — and the very different ways authorities treated them. — Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Rolling Stone, 3 Oct. 2026

The party has been classified by Germany’s domestic intelligence agency as an extremist group in some regions. — ABC News, 27 Sep. 2026

Tensions have surged in the West Bank, and extremist Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians have increased exponentially, emboldened by right-wing, ultra-nationalist politicians in Israel's government. — Arkansas Online, 21 Sep. 2026

Both nominees have attempted to portray themselves as the commonsense alternative to an extremist opponent whose agenda could set the state back decades. — Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 18 Sep. 2026

In 2018, Steve Bannon sent a message to Jeffrey Epstein, preserved in the Justice Department’s cache of Epstein files, suggesting that the success of extremist European political parties would make life easier for the cryptocurrency industry. — Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 14 Sep. 2026

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

Noun

The last of them, a 12-year campaign against ISIS, sought to dismantle the Sunni extremist group that carved out territory across Syria and Iraq in the mid-2010s. — Sarah Tamimi, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2026

The caption on the video claims that a group of Muslim extremists kidnapped and beheaded a Christian man for refusing to convert to Islam. — Matthew Ablon, CBS News, 14 Sep. 2026

Dictators chose repression, extremists chose violence, and regional powers pursued their interests. — Ayman M. Mohyeldin, Vanity Fair, 11 Sep. 2026

Unlike 25 years ago — when extremists, mostly from Saudi Arabia, entered the United States and trained to become deadly pilots — the terror threat facing Europe today is mostly organized online. — Lorne Cook, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2026

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

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