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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in insurgent
taking part in a rebellion
revolutionary forces that were soundly defeated before reaching the capital
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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
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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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of revolutionary
Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 23 Mar. 2026
In Reflections on the Revolution in France, his most famous work, Burke warned about the dangers of a revolutionary zeal aimed at completely redesigning a civilization.
—Peter Wehner, The Atlantic, 23 Mar. 2026
Max Saltman, CNN Money, 21 Mar. 2026
On the left, Anderson trots out stock characters — the oversexed Black woman revolutionary, Leo’s cuckolded white stoner, doctrinaire newcomers — from a Bob Hope skit about hippies.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 17 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for revolutionary
Adjective
Scientists have designed a revolutionary solution that could reshape desalination and water purification after making a membrane that can transport ions through water without relying on mechanical systems or chemical reactions.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 23 Mar. 2026
In Reflections on the Revolution in France, his most famous work, Burke warned about the dangers of a revolutionary zeal aimed at completely redesigning a civilization.
—Peter Wehner, The Atlantic, 23 Mar. 2026
Noun
Since Cuban revolutionaries led by Fidel Castro overthrew the regime of Fulgencio Batista in 1959, the country has been under a strict economic embargo from the United States.
—Max Saltman, CNN Money, 21 Mar. 2026
On the left, Anderson trots out stock characters — the oversexed Black woman revolutionary, Leo’s cuckolded white stoner, doctrinaire newcomers — from a Bob Hope skit about hippies.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 17 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for revolutionary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for revolutionary
Adjective
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His themes intersect with those of Kiarostami—an anti-authoritarianism that, though no less radical, is an ironic, self-deprecating one.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
27 Mar. 2026
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The most radical changes all concern food and drink in one way or another.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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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
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As the decade wore on, though, my parents grew up—as happens to young rebels—and my mother, unexpectedly, started thinking about having kids.—
Zayd Ayers Dohrn,
New Yorker,
28 Mar. 2026
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Their work and mental health were further disrupted when Houthi rebels in Yemen began attacking ships in the Red Sea, with at least nine sailors killed and 11 others held captive for five months.—
Mithil Aggarwal,
NBC news,
27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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In 2024, Governor Ron DeSantis signed legislation that prohibits cities and counties from creating their own heat exposure protections for outdoor workers—a move critics say limits local efforts to address extreme working conditions.—
Ivan Taylor,
CBS News,
25 Mar. 2026
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The technology is aimed primarily at reducing the extreme physical strain experienced by artillery crews.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
24 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The 8-episode first season charts the improbable ascent of Joe and Rose Kennedy and their nine children, including rebellious second son Jack, who struggles to escape the shadow of his golden boy older brother.—
Denise Petski,
Deadline,
27 Mar. 2026
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In a mountain resort, rebellious snowboarders uncover a nuclear conspiracy in a uranium mine.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
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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
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Just as former gang members serve as effective anti-gang advocates, former extremists work with those who either volunteer to leave or have been court-mandated to go through deradicalization.—
Natalie Eilbert,
jsonline.com,
19 Mar. 2026
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Kent, a former Green Beret and political candidate with connections to right-wing extremists, was confirmed in July on a 52-44 vote.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
18 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 1 Apr. 2026.
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