1
as in radicals
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in rebels
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 revolutionaries
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
These works follow aging revolutionaries who have given up the fight after being forced into hiding or choosing to raise a family; some have simply grown tired of the struggle.
—Boris Kachka, The Atlantic, 3 Apr. 2026
The idea that one generation could not determine the political future of the next was precisely what many revolutionaries, despite their internal differences, had fought against.
—Roxane Razavi, The Conversation, 2 Apr. 2026
When the revolution took place, the revolutionaries blamed the United States and Israel for the region’s greatest grievances.
—Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 31 Mar. 2026
The game happened to be on November 18th, the anniversary of Haitian revolutionaries defeating the French Army in 1803 before declaring independence.
—Albert Samaha, New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2026
Until the 1950s, its inmates were Vietnamese revolutionaries – or anyone deemed to be such – and conditions were truly horrendous.
—Tamara Hinson, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Mar. 2026
The villagers become sympathetic to the revolutionaries, who hide in the hills, and increasingly radicalized.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 27 Mar. 2026
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
These works follow aging revolutionaries who have given up the fight after being forced into hiding or choosing to raise a family; some have simply grown tired of the struggle.
—Boris Kachka, The Atlantic, 3 Apr. 2026
The idea that one generation could not determine the political future of the next was precisely what many revolutionaries, despite their internal differences, had fought against.
—Roxane Razavi, The Conversation, 2 Apr. 2026
When the revolution took place, the revolutionaries blamed the United States and Israel for the region’s greatest grievances.
—Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 31 Mar. 2026
The game happened to be on November 18th, the anniversary of Haitian revolutionaries defeating the French Army in 1803 before declaring independence.
—Albert Samaha, New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2026
Until the 1950s, its inmates were Vietnamese revolutionaries – or anyone deemed to be such – and conditions were truly horrendous.
—Tamara Hinson, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Mar. 2026
The villagers become sympathetic to the revolutionaries, who hide in the hills, and increasingly radicalized.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 27 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for revolutionaries
Noun
-
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
Noun
-
The rebels attempting to take over Mali are said to be jihadists from the Nusrat al-Islam (GSIM/JNIM) linked with the tribesmen of the FLA and other groups, including at least one linked with Islamic State.—
Paul Tilsley,
FOXNews.com,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Security is a major concern for mining companies looking to enter DR Congo and has held back the development of extractive industries in Africa’s second-largest nation by land mass, which for years has fought rebels in the east of the country.—
semafor.com,
semafor.com,
27 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
Noun
-
That song’s twangful snarl — wonderfully sung by Clark, a star recording artist in her own right — is a reminder that these insurgents are also preservationists, capable of delivering old-fashioned pleasures to please the purists.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Since insurgents ousted former President Bashar Assad in December 2024, dozens of members of his security agencies that were blamed for atrocities during the conflict have been arrested.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Several of the anarchists were convicted of the deaths, to strong public approval.—
Jim Nowlan,
Chicago Tribune,
19 Apr. 2026
-
This was just the beginning of us young anarchists becoming judgmental jerks.—
Joseph Hudak,
Rolling Stone,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
There were lots of crazies wandering around.—
Joseph Hudak,
Rolling Stone,
7 Apr. 2026
-
The cool-kid leftist pod for listeners intrigued enough to wade through the Jeffrey Epstein conspiracy sandbox, but who didn’t want to wade through the actual crazies, has become an anchor for a thriving alt-media ecosystem that’s long been ready for a skeptical, leftward, socialist-curious turn.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
8 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Revolutionaries.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/revolutionaries. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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