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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 extremists
Last week, armed extremists in northeastern Nigeria killed at least 36 people during separate attacks on a construction site and on an army base.
—
Tunde Omolehin, Los Angeles Times, 4 Feb. 2026
In an age when polarized politics have whipped extremists into a frenzy and disagreeing with someone’s views justifies physical assault among fringe elements, the assault on Omar is a new abysmal milestone of societal degradation.
—Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 29 Jan. 2026
Voters in primary elections may nominate extremists to run in the general election, leaving independents no choice but to vote for the lesser of two evils or to abstain from voting for either.
—Chicago Tribune, 26 Jan. 2026
Once more, police made desultory enquiries and soon lost interest, their investigative resources stretched thin by a recent string of bombings in London by Irish republican extremists.
—Literary Hub, 16 Jan. 2026
Some nihilistic violent extremists carry out violence with the goal of hastening the collapse of society — a philosophy known as accelerationism.
—Lauren Fichten, CBS News, 12 Jan. 2026
With extremists in power the nation’s leaders lose their ability to compromise and thus the entire nation fails.
—Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 12 Jan. 2026
In Africa, extremists exploit ungoverned water scarcity to recruit and control populations.
—Ian Bremmer, Time, 6 Jan. 2026
With no escape, the young band members (played by Anton Yelchin, Alia Shawkat, Joe Cole, and Callum Turner) are forced into a vicious fight for survival against merciless extremists, led by Patrick Stewart's sinister Darcy Banker.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Dec. 2025
Tunde Omolehin, Los Angeles Times, 4 Feb. 2026
In an age when polarized politics have whipped extremists into a frenzy and disagreeing with someone’s views justifies physical assault among fringe elements, the assault on Omar is a new abysmal milestone of societal degradation.
—Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 29 Jan. 2026
Voters in primary elections may nominate extremists to run in the general election, leaving independents no choice but to vote for the lesser of two evils or to abstain from voting for either.
—Chicago Tribune, 26 Jan. 2026
Once more, police made desultory enquiries and soon lost interest, their investigative resources stretched thin by a recent string of bombings in London by Irish republican extremists.
—Literary Hub, 16 Jan. 2026
Some nihilistic violent extremists carry out violence with the goal of hastening the collapse of society — a philosophy known as accelerationism.
—Lauren Fichten, CBS News, 12 Jan. 2026
With extremists in power the nation’s leaders lose their ability to compromise and thus the entire nation fails.
—Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 12 Jan. 2026
In Africa, extremists exploit ungoverned water scarcity to recruit and control populations.
—Ian Bremmer, Time, 6 Jan. 2026
With no escape, the young band members (played by Anton Yelchin, Alia Shawkat, Joe Cole, and Callum Turner) are forced into a vicious fight for survival against merciless extremists, led by Patrick Stewart's sinister Darcy Banker.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for extremists
Noun
-
Rahman is positioning himself as a bridge between a political aristocracy that dates back to Bangladesh’s liberation struggle and the aspirations of its young revolutionaries.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Quarters honoring national heroes from the abolitionist, suffragette and civil rights eras have been scrapped and will be replaced by the nation's early White pioneers and revolutionaries.—
Karissa Waddick,
USA Today,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Then the Department of Justice ordered federal prosecutors and the FBI to investigate Good’s family for ties to left-wing radicals, leading several prosecutors to resign.—
The Atlantic,
The Atlantic,
26 Jan. 2026
-
The problem is the unhinged reaction to ICE’s presence by leftist radicals who have a lot in common with your average anarchist.—
Chris Roemer,
Baltimore Sun,
22 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Extremists.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/extremists. Accessed 8 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
