as in revolutionaries
a person who favors rapid and sweeping changes especially in laws and methods of government
radicals staged large, violent protests in the hopes of toppling the government
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Recent Examples of radicals
The anti-imperialist upsurge of the 1920s and ’30s was formative for a generation of Latin American radicals.
—
Tony Wood, The Conversation, 17 Apr. 2026
For every cultural good, identity has become fused with the object of interest, turning previously normal people leading unremarkable lives into Steak ’n Shake beef-tallow purists, Harry Potter moralists, or cast-iron-pan-cleaning radicals.
—Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 31 Mar. 2026
Now some Republicans are depicting the No Kings movement as a band of radicals, out of step with mainstream political opinion.
—Susan Page, USA Today, 29 Mar. 2026
The convergence of Abundance centrists and conservative environmentalists would seem to belie the ACC’s assertion that the environmental movement is dominated by radicals who would rather sabotage the American economy than accept any of the compromises necessary to achieve a prosperous future.
—Gaby Del Valle, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
Berets were fashionable among radicals and the very old.
—Literary Hub, 18 Feb. 2026
Wood argues that colleges are not only staffed with a disproportionate number of radicals who indoctrinate the students but also have turned everything from dormitory management to the dining halls over to the left.
—Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 17 Feb. 2026
Father Ed and Bishop Rob Hirschfeld aren’t political radicals.
—Ernesto Burden, Washington Post, 9 Feb. 2026
She was abducted from UC Berkeley by a small cadre of Bay Area militant radicals, who demanded her family pay to feed the poor en masse.
—Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2026
Tony Wood, The Conversation, 17 Apr. 2026
For every cultural good, identity has become fused with the object of interest, turning previously normal people leading unremarkable lives into Steak ’n Shake beef-tallow purists, Harry Potter moralists, or cast-iron-pan-cleaning radicals.
—Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 31 Mar. 2026
Now some Republicans are depicting the No Kings movement as a band of radicals, out of step with mainstream political opinion.
—Susan Page, USA Today, 29 Mar. 2026
The convergence of Abundance centrists and conservative environmentalists would seem to belie the ACC’s assertion that the environmental movement is dominated by radicals who would rather sabotage the American economy than accept any of the compromises necessary to achieve a prosperous future.
—Gaby Del Valle, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
Berets were fashionable among radicals and the very old.
—Literary Hub, 18 Feb. 2026
Wood argues that colleges are not only staffed with a disproportionate number of radicals who indoctrinate the students but also have turned everything from dormitory management to the dining halls over to the left.
—Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 17 Feb. 2026
Father Ed and Bishop Rob Hirschfeld aren’t political radicals.
—Ernesto Burden, Washington Post, 9 Feb. 2026
She was abducted from UC Berkeley by a small cadre of Bay Area militant radicals, who demanded her family pay to feed the poor en masse.
—Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for radicals
Noun
-
The second includes former revolutionaries, reformists, communist factions and groups such as the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK), many of whom emerged from or once supported the revolutionary system before later opposing it.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
28 Apr. 2026
-
In 1777, he was summoned to Paris to meet with American revolutionaries, including Benjamin Franklin.—
Amanda Rosa
Updated April 28,
Miami Herald,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Reparations will support education, economic aid and mental health services, with programs specifically targeting women and girls who endured systematic persecution by extremists in Timbuktu.—
Molly Quell,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Vulnerable rural communities regularly come under fire from Islamic extremists and bandits who take advantage of Nigeria’s vast rural areas and security gaps.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
22 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Radicals.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/radicals. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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