1
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in rebels
a person who rises up against authority
at first the government was not worried about this small band of unarmed revolutionaries
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of revolutionaries
These works follow aging revolutionaries who have given up the fight after being forced into hiding or choosing to raise a family; some have simply grown tired of the struggle.
—
Boris Kachka, The Atlantic, 3 Apr. 2026
The idea that one generation could not determine the political future of the next was precisely what many revolutionaries, despite their internal differences, had fought against.
—Roxane Razavi, The Conversation, 2 Apr. 2026
When the revolution took place, the revolutionaries blamed the United States and Israel for the region’s greatest grievances.
—Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 31 Mar. 2026
The game happened to be on November 18th, the anniversary of Haitian revolutionaries defeating the French Army in 1803 before declaring independence.
—Albert Samaha, New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2026
Until the 1950s, its inmates were Vietnamese revolutionaries – or anyone deemed to be such – and conditions were truly horrendous.
—Tamara Hinson, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Mar. 2026
The villagers become sympathetic to the revolutionaries, who hide in the hills, and increasingly radicalized.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 27 Mar. 2026
Alliance for Global Justice traces its roots back to efforts to raise money in the late 1970s to support socialist Sandinista revolutionaries in Nicaragua.
—Brianna Bailey, The Frontier, 24 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
Boris Kachka, The Atlantic, 3 Apr. 2026
The idea that one generation could not determine the political future of the next was precisely what many revolutionaries, despite their internal differences, had fought against.
—Roxane Razavi, The Conversation, 2 Apr. 2026
When the revolution took place, the revolutionaries blamed the United States and Israel for the region’s greatest grievances.
—Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 31 Mar. 2026
The game happened to be on November 18th, the anniversary of Haitian revolutionaries defeating the French Army in 1803 before declaring independence.
—Albert Samaha, New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2026
Until the 1950s, its inmates were Vietnamese revolutionaries – or anyone deemed to be such – and conditions were truly horrendous.
—Tamara Hinson, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Mar. 2026
The villagers become sympathetic to the revolutionaries, who hide in the hills, and increasingly radicalized.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 27 Mar. 2026
Alliance for Global Justice traces its roots back to efforts to raise money in the late 1970s to support socialist Sandinista revolutionaries in Nicaragua.
—Brianna Bailey, The Frontier, 24 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for revolutionaries
Noun
-
For every cultural good, identity has become fused with the object of interest, turning previously normal people leading unremarkable lives into Steak ’n Shake beef-tallow purists, Harry Potter moralists, or cast-iron-pan-cleaning radicals.—
Ian Bogost,
The Atlantic,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Now some Republicans are depicting the No Kings movement as a band of radicals, out of step with mainstream political opinion.—
Susan Page,
USA Today,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
It was reserved only for slaves, criminals and political rebels.—
John Blake,
CNN Money,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Following the events of A Palace Near the Wind, Liu Lufeng and her siblings flee the Palace for the dangerous waters, which contain rebels, allies, and her sister Sangshu—though Sangshu’s conflicting loyalties may clash with Lufeng’s plan to keep them all safe.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Violent extremists feasted on this great replacement propaganda, using it to justify terror attacks across the West.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Keep the pressure on every single one of these extremists.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
In 2024, insurgents led by now-interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa’s Hayat Tahrir al-Sham marched to Damascus and removed Assad from power.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
8 Apr. 2026
-
While serving a tour of duty outside the province of Kandahar in Afghanistan in August of 2011, he was ambushed by Taliban insurgents disguised in Afghan National Army uniforms.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Investigators are not ruling out sabotage carried out by anarchists, citing similarities to the sabotage that targeted the French network during the 2024 Paris Olympics, when France’s high-speed train lines were targeted by multiple malicious acts including arson.—
Antonia Mortensen,
CNN Money,
7 Feb. 2026
-
The loudest calls for taxing the ultra-rich amid this year’s Davos summit aren’t coming from hooded anarchists or revolutionary socialists, but from the one-percenters themselves.—
Joe Wilkins Published Jan 22,
Futurism,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
There were lots of crazies wandering around.—
Joseph Hudak,
Rolling Stone,
7 Apr. 2026
-
The cool-kid leftist pod for listeners intrigued enough to wade through the Jeffrey Epstein conspiracy sandbox, but who didn’t want to wade through the actual crazies, has become an anchor for a thriving alt-media ecosystem that’s long been ready for a skeptical, leftward, socialist-curious turn.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
8 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Revolutionaries.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/revolutionaries. Accessed 11 Apr. 2026.
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