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
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Recent Examples of revolutionaries
Wonder women in American history Who were most transformative female organizers, creators, activists, innovators, revolutionaries and trailblazers in American history?
—
Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 13 Feb. 2026
With that mental reframing, the American (and then French and other) revolutionaries changed not just their own country, but the world.
—Andreas Kluth, Mercury News, 10 Feb. 2026
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
All three play key roles in the library scene—in which Walker’s revolutionaries, seeking justice for a racial atrocity, hold Morgan’s collection hostage—but none had visited the real thing, on Thirty-sixth Street.
—Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026
One nomination after another, Anderson’s drama about a group of revolutionaries has been steamrolling awards season, so its 14 nods are not surprising.
—Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 23 Jan. 2026
Here, present-day students rewind old audio tapes to hear a band of underground revolutionaries risk their necks for a better tomorrow.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2026
Her lead performance as Willa, the daughter of underground revolutionaries, has earned Infiniti nominations among multiple voting bodies including her first recognition at the Golden Globes.
—Jack Smart, PEOPLE, 12 Jan. 2026
The revolutionaries and the representatives of the old republic (all of them, it should be said, canny political operatives of various vintages) get along quite well on the ground.
—Ben Smith, semafor.com, 12 Jan. 2026
Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 13 Feb. 2026
With that mental reframing, the American (and then French and other) revolutionaries changed not just their own country, but the world.
—Andreas Kluth, Mercury News, 10 Feb. 2026
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
All three play key roles in the library scene—in which Walker’s revolutionaries, seeking justice for a racial atrocity, hold Morgan’s collection hostage—but none had visited the real thing, on Thirty-sixth Street.
—Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026
One nomination after another, Anderson’s drama about a group of revolutionaries has been steamrolling awards season, so its 14 nods are not surprising.
—Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 23 Jan. 2026
Here, present-day students rewind old audio tapes to hear a band of underground revolutionaries risk their necks for a better tomorrow.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2026
Her lead performance as Willa, the daughter of underground revolutionaries, has earned Infiniti nominations among multiple voting bodies including her first recognition at the Golden Globes.
—Jack Smart, PEOPLE, 12 Jan. 2026
The revolutionaries and the representatives of the old republic (all of them, it should be said, canny political operatives of various vintages) get along quite well on the ground.
—Ben Smith, semafor.com, 12 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for revolutionaries
Noun
-
Berets were fashionable among radicals and the very old.—
Literary Hub,
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
Noun
-
Only a few of her captors speak French, so most of her days are spent nonverbally (and Depardon reinforces the isolation by not subtitling the rebels’ dialogue in their native language).—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Despite denim enthusiasts often being drawn to traditionally masculine iconography—such as the Wild West, cowboys, and Hollywood rebels like Marlon Brando and James Dean—what truly defines the subculture is a deep appreciation for nostalgia, freedom, and self-expression.—
Angela Velasquez,
Sourcing Journal,
18 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has played down the violence as the work of a small group of extremists.—
Julia Frankel,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Feb. 2026
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The gorgeous, haunting animation allows the filmmakers to precisely recreate the Lebanese battlefield and grapple with the events that led to the infamous massacre of Palestinian refugees at the Sabra and Shatila refugee camp outside of Beirut at the hands of Lebanese Christian extremists.—
David Faris,
TheWeek,
24 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Those funds often backed far-right Republican insurgents.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Amid the nods to social media and cancel culture and the shallow perils of modern celebrity, the image of Taylor-Joy’s disciplined group of insurgents, who speak in almost archaic, poetic dialogue, strikes a bracing contrast.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
5 Feb. 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
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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
-
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
-
That means, at times, policing its own—and not letting the crazies run the asylum.—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Revolutionaries.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/revolutionaries. Accessed 2 Mar. 2026.
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