1
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in insurgent
taking part in a rebellion
revolutionary forces that were soundly defeated before reaching the capital
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in rebel
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in revolutionist
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 revolutionary
Arkansas Online, 3 Mar. 2026
At the center of Cuba’s story that its coast guard last week thwarted a counter-revolutionary invasion of the island is a 24-foot fishing boat reported stolen from the Florida Keys.
—David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 3 Mar. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for revolutionary
Adjective
But those documents, signed by George Washington, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin and other American revolutionary leaders, will be making their way across the country and put on display for free at local museums.
—Arkansas Online, 3 Mar. 2026
At the center of Cuba’s story that its coast guard last week thwarted a counter-revolutionary invasion of the island is a 24-foot fishing boat reported stolen from the Florida Keys.
—David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 3 Mar. 2026
Noun
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
See All Example Sentences for revolutionary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for revolutionary
Adjective
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His career spanned more than five decades, from playing in big bands in the late 1930s to radical explorations in free jazz and electronic music from the ’60s through the ’80s.—
Lisa Wong Macabasco,
Vogue,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Then-technical director Edu had overseen a radical overhaul of the recruitment department in 2020, with several redundancies leading to the formation of a smaller, leaner team.—
James McNicholas,
New York Times,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
And for two of those elections, in 1984 and 1988, the party endured a primary that pitted more establishment centrist candidates (Walter Mondale and Michael Dukakis) against an insurgent firebrand Black populist, Rev. Jesse L. Jackson.—
Abby Phillip,
Time,
4 Dec. 2025
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Although some analysts have suggested Starmer may quietly be pleased with the resignation of his main rival and potential successor, the toppling of Rayner caps off what has been a dreadful summer for Labour, in which the party has lost more ground in the polls to the insurgent Reform UK.—
Max Foster,
CNN Money,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
These are Loyalists who have been killed by rebels.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
6 Mar. 2026
-
While Machar is currently on trial for offenses including treason, fighting has intensified in areas seen as his strongholds, where government troops are trying to disperse the rebels.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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However, recent warmer temperatures this winter and extreme wind events have beaten down the wildflowers and signaled that summer is approaching, which can deplete the bloom, according to Fraga.—
Cierra Morgan,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Pakistan has announced extreme austerity measures, South Korea is introducing its first fuel price cap in almost 30 years, and G7 ministers met to discuss potentially releasing strategic oil reserves.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
10 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Theirs was a rebellious poetics of beauty, or a beautiful poetics of rebellion.—
Taran Dugal,
New Yorker,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Yet his work is perhaps closer to the rebellious energy of Dutch painter Theo van Doesburg, for whom the diagonal line was synonymous with disruption.—
Elinore Weil,
Artforum,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The collection drew inspiration from two seemingly distant sources: a still-life painting of a shirt collar by Joe Brainard, the prolific 1960s New York writer and artist, and a short story by Yu Dafu, the early 20th-century Chinese author and revolutionist.—
Denni Hu,
Footwear News,
17 Oct. 2025
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In a country shackled and scarred by race, religion, gender, and class, much of that rationalized and reified by mainline American churches, the Disciples were genial revolutionists offering inclusion, education, and empowerment for those at the margins.—
Richard D. Mahoney,
JSTOR Daily,
30 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Videos published by Islamic State West Africa Province showed massive weaponry and ammunition, as well as dozens of motorcycles and vehicles that the extremists said were captured during the raids.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Over the weekend, Islamic extremists launched at least six attacks in Borno and Yobe states and in the wider Lake Chad region, spiriting away trucks and military hardware from the bases, according to security analysts and security reports.—
Chinedu Asadu,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
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That’s partially due to bandleader Caspian Honeywell’s time on the circuit in the defunct anarchist group Blackbird Raum, who jump-started the folk-punk movement almost 20 years ago.—
Nina Corcoran,
Pitchfork,
23 Feb. 2026
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All were marked for assassination by an anarchist cook named Jean Crones, who spiked the soup stock with arsenic.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Revolutionary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/revolutionary. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
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