as in revolutionaries
a person who favors rapid and sweeping changes especially in laws and methods of government
radicals staged large, violent protests in the hopes of toppling the government
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 radicals
The convergence of Abundance centrists and conservative environmentalists would seem to belie the ACC’s assertion that the environmental movement is dominated by radicals who would rather sabotage the American economy than accept any of the compromises necessary to achieve a prosperous future.
—
Gaby Del Valle, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
Berets were fashionable among radicals and the very old.
—Literary Hub, 18 Feb. 2026
Wood argues that colleges are not only staffed with a disproportionate number of radicals who indoctrinate the students but also have turned everything from dormitory management to the dining halls over to the left.
—Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 17 Feb. 2026
Father Ed and Bishop Rob Hirschfeld aren’t political radicals.
—Ernesto Burden, Washington Post, 9 Feb. 2026
She was abducted from UC Berkeley by a small cadre of Bay Area militant radicals, who demanded her family pay to feed the poor en masse.
—Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2026
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, 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
Code Pink is a bunch of insane radicals and someone could have gotten hurt.
—Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Jan. 2026
Gaby Del Valle, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
Berets were fashionable among radicals and the very old.
—Literary Hub, 18 Feb. 2026
Wood argues that colleges are not only staffed with a disproportionate number of radicals who indoctrinate the students but also have turned everything from dormitory management to the dining halls over to the left.
—Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 17 Feb. 2026
Father Ed and Bishop Rob Hirschfeld aren’t political radicals.
—Ernesto Burden, Washington Post, 9 Feb. 2026
She was abducted from UC Berkeley by a small cadre of Bay Area militant radicals, who demanded her family pay to feed the poor en masse.
—Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2026
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, 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
Code Pink is a bunch of insane radicals and someone could have gotten hurt.
—Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for radicals
Noun
-
The organizers were arrested and denounced by authorities as counter-revolutionaries.—
Azadeh Moaveni,
New Yorker,
22 Mar. 2026
-
Silvia Hernandez is an Orlando resident and the granddaughter of Cuban revolutionaries buried in Miami.—
Silvia Hernandez,
The Orlando Sentinel,
22 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Just as former gang members serve as effective anti-gang advocates, former extremists work with those who either volunteer to leave or have been court-mandated to go through deradicalization.—
Natalie Eilbert,
jsonline.com,
19 Mar. 2026
-
Maiduguri has been at the heart of deadly violence in Nigeria in the past, but has experienced relative peace in recent years, even as the countryside is often battered by extremists.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
18 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Radicals.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/radicals. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
