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
Almost fifty years ago, Iran’s revolutionaries introduced a militant brand of Shiite Islam as a viable medium of political opposition and governance.
—
Robin Wright, New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2026
Once back in power, Perón—and, after his death in 1974, his wife and successor, Isabelita—would demonize the revolutionaries as terrorists.
—Daniel R. Quiles, Artforum, 1 Mar. 2026
But these guys are pretty hardcore revolutionaries.
—Donald Heflin, Fortune, 1 Mar. 2026
But these guys are pretty hardcore revolutionaries.
—Donald Heflin, The Conversation, 28 Feb. 2026
And, in the mid-1770s, that traveler might also hear talk of revolution, men recruiting others to join the militia fighting the British, even revolutionaries meeting in secret.
—Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 27 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
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
Robin Wright, New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2026
Once back in power, Perón—and, after his death in 1974, his wife and successor, Isabelita—would demonize the revolutionaries as terrorists.
—Daniel R. Quiles, Artforum, 1 Mar. 2026
But these guys are pretty hardcore revolutionaries.
—Donald Heflin, Fortune, 1 Mar. 2026
But these guys are pretty hardcore revolutionaries.
—Donald Heflin, The Conversation, 28 Feb. 2026
And, in the mid-1770s, that traveler might also hear talk of revolution, men recruiting others to join the militia fighting the British, even revolutionaries meeting in secret.
—Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 27 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
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
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
-
The choice was hailed by the president of Azerbaijan and the leader of Yemen’s Houthi rebels, among other allies.—
Kevin Rector,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Yet plantation records indicate that women helped supply food and clothing to rebels.—
Ed Gaskin,
Boston Herald,
8 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
New Delhi vehemently denied the allegations and accused former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government of harboring Sikh extremists of the Khalistan movement.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
2 Mar. 2026
-
The cataclysmic and often chaotic conflict cost more Israeli and Palestinian lives than any war in their history, destroyed wide swaths of the enclave, empowered Israel’s extremists who sought to settle the territory, and sharply eroded Israel’s international standing.—
Yair Rosenberg,
The Atlantic,
2 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Paxton will counter that Texas runoffs often reward insurgents.—
Gromer Jeffers Jr,
Dallas Morning News,
4 Mar. 2026
-
After Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, the new theocracy also battled Kurdish insurgents.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 Mar. 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 10 Mar. 2026.
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