revolutionary 1 of 2

adjective

ˌre-və-ˈlü-shə-ˌner-ē How to pronounce revolutionary (audio)
Definition of revolutionarynext
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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2
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

noun

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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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

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
That is the revolutionary mathematics of this first-of-its kind, dual-sport training ground. — Tamerra Griffin, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2026 Violeta Chamorro had defeated the Sandinistas at the ballot box, ending a decade of revolutionary rule and opening the door to democratic governance. — Lynn Northcutt Vega, Sun Sentinel, 19 Aug. 2026
Noun
Trump is starving the machine that creates America's socialist revolutionaries. — FOXNews.com, 28 July 2026 In 1792, French revolutionaries arrested and imprisoned King Louis XVI; he would be executed by guillotine the following January. — ABC News, 28 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for revolutionary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for revolutionary
  1. radical
  2. insurgent
  3. rebel
  4. extreme
  5. rebellious
  6. revolutionist
  7. extremist
  8. anarchist
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
  • In her 1974 novel The Hearing Trumpet, a nonagenarian vegetarian heroine named Marian rebels against patriarchal institutions.
    — Kelly Presutti, ARTnews.com, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Al-Sharaa ousted President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024 in an offensive led by HTS rebels.
    — Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of rebel
Adjective
  • China is also blocked from accessing ASML’s most advanced extreme ultraviolet (EUV) machines.
    — Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Intel is a slightly different case because it’s also caught up in the mania for chip stocks as spending on artificial intelligence creates extreme demand for semiconductors.
    — Norah Rami, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of extreme
Adjective
  • Andrew Garfield is not just a rebellious peasant in his upcoming action period drama.
    — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Green and Perry starred alongside one another on the hit Fox series, in which Green portrayed the aspiring musician David Silver while Perry starred as the rebellious Dylan McKay, for 10 years from 1990 to 2000.
    — Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 25 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
  • In a Michigan swing district just north of Detroit, Democratic congressional candidate Christina Hines said voters are far more worried about affording fuel, groceries and healthcare than about left-wing extremists gaining ground in her party.
    — Steve Peoples, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2026
  • During the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, more than 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed in a campaign of mass murder orchestrated by Hutu extremists.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of extremist
Noun
  • Among those waiting to meet the president was Leon Czolgosz, a 28-year-old anarchist who considered the government oppressive.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Aug. 2026
  • President William McKinley was shot twice at close range by an anarchist, Leon Czolgosz, at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York.
    — USA Today, USA Today, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of anarchist

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Cite this Entry

“Revolutionary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/revolutionary. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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