Synonyms of radicals

radicals

noun

plural of radical

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

• revolutionaries
• extremists
• rebels
• reformers
• revolutionists
• crazies
• anarchists
• insurgents
• leftists
• progressives
• agitators
• reformists
• subversives
• insurrectionists
• reds
• lefties
• separatists
• secessionists
• young Turks
• anarchs
• separationists

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• moderates
• conservatives
• reactionaries
• rightists
• traditionalists
• Tories
• middle-of-the-roaders
• standpatters
• fuddy-duddies

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of radicals

Dohrn, who is the son of the longtime radicals Bernardine Dohrn and Bill Ayers and who has taught for several years at Northwestern University, certainly has enjoyed a catbird’s seat on the culture wars of academia. — Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 15 Sep. 2026

Hickey is the charismatic traveling salesman who preaches a distorted vision of salvation to the social misfits and leftist radicals in a dive bar in lower Manhattan, modeled on the denizens of a favorite O’Neill hangout. — Martha Ross, Mercury News, 3 Sep. 2026

Once Lamb starts publishing daily dispatches about her abduction at the hands of Indo‑Trinidadian radicals demanding a ransom, the writing is on the walls that this woman is going to die. — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 2 Sep. 2026

Solar ultraviolet photons break apart bonds in molecules, creating radicals, which oxidize VOCs. — Michael A. Robinson, The Conversation, 25 Aug. 2026

Political radicals have found purchase in Democratic primaries in part because of disgust with our present system of capitalist greed, self-dealing and multi-card monte with all cards in the president du jour’s hands. — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 24 Aug. 2026

During the nineteenth century, an older form of abolitionism was led by Black radicals. — Literary Hub, 27 July 2026

In the early days of the republic, there were many radicals and reformers who shared my suspicion that patriotism was an evasion, substituting songs and speeches about liberty for the reality. — Dominic Erdozain, Time, 3 July 2026

American Muslims for Palestine has repeatedly come under fire over leading members’ past ties to foreign terrorists, though the group denies supporting such radicals. — Hudson Crozier, The Washington Examiner, 26 June 2026