as in revolutionaries
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
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Recent Examples of extremists
The Middle Belt and northern states are especially volatile, with Islamic militant groups like Boko Haram, Fulani extremists and ISWAP (Islamic State West Africa Province) targeting Christian communities through mass killings, kidnappings and church burnings.
—
Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Aug. 2025
Only the liberals and the extremists do that.
—Tom Tapp, Deadline, 12 Aug. 2025
These extremists don’t give a damn about public safety.
—Sudiksha Kochi, USA Today, 7 Aug. 2025
Yehuda Cohen, the father of Nimrod Cohen, an Israeli soldier held in Gaza, said from the boat that Netanyahu is prolonging the war to satisfy extremists in his governing coalition.
—Melanie Lidman, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2025
The same extremists, ranging from Max Blumenthal on the left to Candace Owens on the right, have ramped up the conspiracy-mongering now that Epstein is in the headlines again.
—Ron Kampeas, Sun Sentinel, 4 Aug. 2025
The attack was the third in less than two months that French authorities attributed to Islamic extremists, and prompted the government to raise its security alert to the maximum level.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 28 Feb. 2025
Performances that allow children in the audience have come under fire from far-right extremists and lawmakers across the country, with over a dozen bills introduced across 8 states in 2023.
—Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY, 26 Feb. 2025
Seventy Christians were allegedly decapitated by Islamist extremists in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) just over a week ago, but the group accused of carrying out the massacre has been terrorizing communities for over a decade.
—Matt Robison, Newsweek, 25 Feb. 2025
Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Aug. 2025
Only the liberals and the extremists do that.
—Tom Tapp, Deadline, 12 Aug. 2025
These extremists don’t give a damn about public safety.
—Sudiksha Kochi, USA Today, 7 Aug. 2025
Yehuda Cohen, the father of Nimrod Cohen, an Israeli soldier held in Gaza, said from the boat that Netanyahu is prolonging the war to satisfy extremists in his governing coalition.
—Melanie Lidman, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2025
The same extremists, ranging from Max Blumenthal on the left to Candace Owens on the right, have ramped up the conspiracy-mongering now that Epstein is in the headlines again.
—Ron Kampeas, Sun Sentinel, 4 Aug. 2025
The attack was the third in less than two months that French authorities attributed to Islamic extremists, and prompted the government to raise its security alert to the maximum level.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 28 Feb. 2025
Performances that allow children in the audience have come under fire from far-right extremists and lawmakers across the country, with over a dozen bills introduced across 8 states in 2023.
—Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY, 26 Feb. 2025
Seventy Christians were allegedly decapitated by Islamist extremists in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) just over a week ago, but the group accused of carrying out the massacre has been terrorizing communities for over a decade.
—Matt Robison, Newsweek, 25 Feb. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for extremists
Noun
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The film was One Battle After Another, Anderson’s high-octane adaptation of Vineland, Thomas Pynchon’s anarchic 1990 novel about a crew of former leftist revolutionaries — the French 75 — living in a slightly more dystopian version of present-day America.—
Seija Rankin,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Sep. 2025
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Such was the importance placed on the tree for mobilizing resistance that in 1775, it was cut down by British soldiers to demoralize the revolutionaries.—
Ellen Walker,
JSTOR Daily,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Lightning also sparks hydroxyl radicals, which help cleanse the air by breaking down methane and other gases.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Aug. 2025
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On the one side, bell bottoms became the signature look of 1970s radicals.—
Stephen Mihm,
Twin Cities,
22 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Extremists.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/extremists. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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