REVOLUTIONARY Synonyms: 93 Similar and Opposite Words

revolutionary 1 of 2

adjective

ˌre-və-ˈlü-shə-ˌner-ē

Definition of revolutionary

as in radical

being very far from the center of public opinion a candidate with a lot of crazy, revolutionary ideas that no one seems to be going for

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in insurgent

taking part in a rebellion revolutionary forces that were soundly defeated before reaching the capital

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revolutionary

2 of 2

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 revolutionist

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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Example Sentences

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 revolutionary

Adjective

Before long, at the height of France’s own student protests, in 1968, Ascherson was lecturing at the Sorbonne on post-Stalinist revolutionary ideas and tactics. — Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 3 Sep. 2026 The internet did splinter 20th-century mass culture, and the effects have been every bit as revolutionary as promised. — Jake Lundberg, The Atlantic, 3 Sep. 2026

Noun

Huey Newton, co-founder of the Black Panther Party, published a statement supporting the women’s and gay liberation movements as fellow revolutionaries. — USA Today, 4 Aug. 2026 Trump is starving the machine that creates America's socialist revolutionaries. — FOXNews.com, 28 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for revolutionary

Recent Examples of Synonyms for revolutionary

Adjective

Burning Man, a weeklong event focused on radical self-expression, participation, communal effort and civic responsibility, is expected to draw approximately 70,000 people this year.

— Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 30 Aug. 2026
As a result, the hair’s length is largely preserved; this isn’t about a radical cut, but about creating texture that wasn’t there before.

— Lucy Binder, Glamour, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of radical

Adjective

Four years ago, during his insurgent first campaign, this editorial board had been wary of some of Mejia’s radical rhetoric.

— The Editorial Board, Daily News, 10 June 2026
Myanmar is worried about resistance to military rule, India is concerned with insurgent groups in its northeast.

— Michael Sullivan, NPR, 30 May 2026

Definition of insurgent

Noun

So there is such a powerful underline of her character, this sort of fierce rebel constantly wanting to find out the truth, constantly aware of her surroundings, aware of everything.

— Hunter Ingram, Variety, 4 Sep. 2026
Alongside Garfield’s Ploughman is Cosmo Jarvis as the true historical figure Wat Tyler, Jamie Bell as clergyman John Ball and Thomasin McKenzie as fellow rebel Alyce.

— Antonia Blyth, Deadline, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of rebel

Adjective

Overdosing on the drug can cause extreme drowsiness, confusion, impaired coordination, decreased reflexes, respiratory depression, coma and possible death.

— Natasha Holt, FOXNews.com, 5 Sep. 2026
In the Rocky Mountains, years of extreme heat and drought have baked the landscape, drying up streams that feed the Colorado River and desiccating pastures where cattle graze.

— Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of extreme

Adjective

Twenty-nine years have passed since then, yet the memory of the princess—an empathetic woman who defied convention, vulnerable yet rebellious, and imbued with a profound humanity—remains vivid and very much alive in the eyes of the entire world.

— Laura Scafati, Vanity Fair, 31 Aug. 2026
Next month, broader audiences will discover Halkias’s rebellious brand of humor with Uncle Stav, his latest Netflix standup special, a follow-up to 2023’s Fat Rascal.

— Jonathan Borge, InStyle, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of rebellious

Noun

As the head of China’s Nationalist government, Chiang and his party were trying to establish control in a nation divided among revolutionists, nationalists, Indigenous warlords, and a developing communist army and government.

— Susan Tate Ankeny, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Apr. 2024
Many revolutionists see heavy tank casualties in Ukraine as the key indicator for the tank’s looming obsolescence in the face of newly lethal precision antitank weapons.

— Stephen Biddle, Foreign Affairs, 10 Aug. 2023

Definition of revolutionist

Noun

Nearly 3,000 people died as a result of the attacks, including the 19 hijackers from the Islamist extremist group al-Qaida.

— Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026
Studying extremists These two cases force researchers to grapple with how knowledge about violent movements is actually produced.

— Arie Perliger, The Conversation, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of extremist

Noun

Until the Day Ends stars Lena Trifunović as Lena, an anarchist student, and Andrija Krivokapić as Stefan, a working-class youth with friends who are pro-government loyalists.

— Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 1 Sep. 2026
Something common to the plans and schemes of crypto-anarchists is a certain Rube Goldberg fussiness.

— Finn Brunton, Harpers Magazine, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of anarchist

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“Revolutionary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/revolutionary. Accessed 7 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of revolutionary

adjective

noun

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