as in radical
being very far from the center of public opinion
his revolutionist ideas won't get him elected
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in revolutionary
a person who favors rapid and sweeping changes especially in laws and methods of government
after a long series of weak leaders, the people were ready for a revolutionist who promised to bring sweeping change to the nation
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in rebel
a person who rises up against authority
historically, revolutionists have generally been young men willing to risk everything, even their lives, in the pursuit of their cause
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Recent Examples of revolutionist
Denni Hu, Footwear News, 17 Oct. 2025
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
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
Leading that revolt is young revolutionist Luigi (Vincenzo Crea), while much older Silvestro (Luca Lionello) hopes to change things from within, by running for a public office usually held by the gentry.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 2 June 2023
On the second episode of Broken Bread this season, Choi talks to farm-to-table revolutionist Alice Waters about the importance of slow food.
—Andy Wang, Robb Report, 19 Jan. 2022
From the early days of Silicon Valley’s Internet-era revolution, as engineers, designers, and financiers began to recognize the potential of their inventions, sanctimony was a distinct feature of the revolutionists.
—Rachel Aviv, The New Yorker, 21 Mar. 2018
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
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
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
Leading that revolt is young revolutionist Luigi (Vincenzo Crea), while much older Silvestro (Luca Lionello) hopes to change things from within, by running for a public office usually held by the gentry.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 2 June 2023
On the second episode of Broken Bread this season, Choi talks to farm-to-table revolutionist Alice Waters about the importance of slow food.
—Andy Wang, Robb Report, 19 Jan. 2022
From the early days of Silicon Valley’s Internet-era revolution, as engineers, designers, and financiers began to recognize the potential of their inventions, sanctimony was a distinct feature of the revolutionists.
—Rachel Aviv, The New Yorker, 21 Mar. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for revolutionist
Adjective
-
Somehow, in honoring the group’s women, from the rageful housewife Margie (Betsy Aidem) to the radical author Celeste (Kristolyn Lloyd), Flood’s outpouring becomes a lament.—
Hilton Als,
New Yorker,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Her work has been featured in retreats, leadership circles, and coaching programs, where she is celebrated for her emotional depth and ability to catalyze radical transformation.—
Maria Williams,
USA Today,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Each robot, remotely operated, clinks glasses and gestures in unison, embodying the camaraderie and hope of the musical’s revolutionaries.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Nov. 2025
-
Paul’s youth and vigor comes with lots of risk, the work of prior revolutionaries threatened to be set back many years.—
David John Chávez,
Mercury News,
28 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The London punk rebels seized the revolutionary spirit of 1977 with their raw manifesto The Clash, then refined their sound with the flawed Give ‘Em Enough Rope.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
9 Nov. 2025
-
Meanwhile, over in Britain, a vibrant antiwar movement brought on motion after motion in Parliament to cease fire and end all offensive operations against the rebels.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
The research team claims that their strategy offers a novel approach to developing high-performance cathodes capable of operating under extreme temperatures.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Nov. 2025
-
The scale runs from G1, minor, to G5, extreme.—
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
That revelation prodded insurgents in British possessions from Ireland to Sierra Leone to take to the streets to assert their own ambitions for economic and political autonomy over the decades to come.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Ilana presents herself as a stout-hearted reformer who’s being targeted by fascistic insurgents but is secretly evil enough to engineer an apocalypse.—
Matt Zoller Seitz,
Vulture,
31 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Revolutionist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/revolutionist. Accessed 13 Nov. 2025.
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