REVOLUTIONARIES Synonyms: 49 Similar and Opposite Words

revolutionaries

noun

plural of revolutionary

as in radicals

a person who favors rapid and sweeping changes especially in laws and methods of government after the collapse of the Russian monarchy, the moderate socialists briefly governed until being overthrown by the Bolshevik revolutionaries

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as in rebels

a person who rises up against authority at first the government was not worried about this small band of unarmed revolutionaries

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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 revolutionaries The monarchy was overthrown in the February Revolution of 1917, and the tsar and his family became prisoners of the revolutionaries. — Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 July 2026 The original Jacobins were the most radical faction of the French revolutionaries. — David Brooks, The Atlantic, 8 July 2026 Good luck with that message in flyover country when the revolutionaries don’t enjoy the advantages of light-turnout primaries. — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026 Many became meeting places for the Founding Fathers and other revolutionaries as tensions with Britain grew. — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 4 July 2026 Or was July 4, 1776, for the revolutionaries who founded the US, actually an undistinguished day? — Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 3 July 2026 Trade the tricorn hats, bonnets and homespun shirts for flip flops, sneakers and soccer jerseys, and the intrepid revolutionaries of 1776 would have looked a lot like the people of 2026. — Katherine Ott, The Conversation, 2 July 2026 The revolutionaries were successful after four hours but at the cost of 94 lives. — USA Today, 29 June 2026 Some imagery on the shirt, depicting Haitian revolutionaries from the early 1800s, was declared political and therefore not allowed, having fallen foul of FIFA’s often quite stringent rules around kits at World Cups. — Nick Miller, New York Times, 17 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for revolutionaries

Noun

But among the radicals of Eugene, such success invited mistrust, born of a faith that any American victory was, ultimately, being purchased in blood.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 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

Definition of radicals

Noun

Oil prices are rising after the United States conducted an 11th consecutive night of strikes on Iranian military targets and Houthi rebels in Yemen threatened to disrupt a crucial escape hatch for Saudi Arabia’s oil exports.

— Arpita Dasika, CNN Money, 22 July 2026
Strait of Hormuz remains key A new pressure point could emerge for world energy markets as Yemen’s Houthi rebels announced on Monday a maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia.

— Jon Gambrell, Los Angeles Times, 20 July 2026

Definition of rebels

Noun

More than four decades later, Kinnock’s actions remain among the most memorable examples of a political leader confronting extremists on his own side.

— James Kirchick, The Atlantic, 21 July 2026
Rushdie has spent almost 40 years under threat of death from Islamic extremists after the Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa against him, claiming Rushdie’s novel The Satanic Verses blasphemed Islam and mocked the Prophet Muhammad.

— Matthew Carey, Deadline, 14 July 2026

Definition of extremists

Noun

One of the insurgents, a doctoral student in sociology named Darializa Avila Chevalier, is far more emblematic of the DSA’s radicalism.

— James Kirchick, The Atlantic, 21 July 2026
So far though, the prediction market insurgents have not meaningfully cut into sportsbook profits.

— Bobby Allyn, NPR, 17 July 2026

Definition of insurgents

Noun

Indeed, antisemitisms prove that a society can hold contradictory images simultaneously, such as the fact that the Jews are both anarchists out to destroy capitalism as well as capitalists out to exploit the working class.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 July 2026
In July 1936, anarchists set fire to the church’s crypt and broke into the architect’s workshop before destroying many of his plans and plaster models.

— CNN Money, CNN Money, 8 June 2026

Definition of anarchists

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“Revolutionaries.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/revolutionaries. Accessed 30 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of revolutionaries

noun

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