radical
radicals
If something is considered extremist or very different from anything that has come before it, call it radical.
The noun, radical, comes from the Latin radix "root," and in fact, radical and root are synonymous as technical terms in fields such as math and linguistics. In more everyday language, a radical is someone who has very extreme views, so you could say that their views are different from the root up. Similarly, a radical flaw or change is a fundamental one whereas a radical design or idea is very new and innovative.
Definitions of radical
-
(used of opinions and actions) far beyond the norm
-
markedly new or introducing radical change“radical political views”
-
synonyms:
revolutionary
-
new
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
-
new
-
a person who has radical ideas or opinions
-
types:
- show 18 types...
- hide 18 types...
-
anarchist, nihilist, syndicalist
an advocate of anarchism
-
Bolshevik, Marxist, bolshie, bolshy, red
emotionally charged terms used to refer to extreme radicals or revolutionaries
-
extremist
a person who holds extreme views
-
leveler, leveller
a radical who advocates the abolition of social distinctions
-
revolutionary, revolutionist, subversive, subverter
a radical supporter of political or social revolution
-
terrorist
a radical who employs terror as a political weapon; usually organizes with other terrorists in small cells; often uses religion as a cover for terrorist activities
-
Trot, Trotskyist, Trotskyite
radicals who support Trotsky's theory that socialism must be established throughout the world by continuing revolution
-
Wobbly
a member of the Industrial Workers of the World
-
young Turk
a young radical who agitates for reform
-
counter-revolutionist, counterrevolutionary, counterrevolutionist
a revolutionary whose aim is to reverse the changes introduced by an earlier revolution
-
dynamiter, dynamitist
a person who uses dynamite in a revolutionary cause
-
Girondin, Girondist
a member of the moderate republican party that was in power during the French Revolution; the Girondists were overthrown by their more radical rivals the Jacobins
-
cyber-terrorist, cyberpunk, hacker
a programmer who breaks into computer systems in order to steal or change or destroy information as a form of cyber-terrorism
-
freedom fighter, insurgent, insurrectionist, rebel
a person who takes part in an armed rebellion against the constituted authority (especially in the hope of improving conditions)
-
Jacobin
a member of the radical movement that instituted the Reign of Terror during the French Revolution
-
sleeper
a spy or saboteur or terrorist planted in an enemy country who lives there as a law-abiding citizen until activated by a prearranged signal
-
suicide bomber
a terrorist who blows himself up in order to kill or injure other people
-
sans-culotte
an extreme revolutionary or republican
-
a character conveying the lexical meaning of a logogram
-
type of:
-
character, grapheme, graphic symbol
a written symbol that is used to represent speech
-
character, grapheme, graphic symbol
-
(linguistics) the form of a word after all affixes are removed
-
of or relating to or constituting a linguistic root“a radical verb form”
-
an atom or group of atoms with at least one unpaired electron; in the body it is usually an oxygen molecule that has lost an electron and will stabilize itself by stealing an electron from a nearby molecule
-
synonyms:
free radical
-
type of:
-
atom
(physics and chemistry) the smallest component of an element having the chemical properties of the element
-
atom
-
(chemistry) two or more atoms bound together as a single unit and forming part of a molecule
-
synonyms:
chemical group, group
-
types:
- show 33 types...
- hide 33 types...
-
acyl, acyl group
any group or radical of the form RCO- where R is an organic group
-
alcohol group, alcohol radical
the chemical group -OH
-
aldehyde group, aldehyde radical
the chemical group -CHO
-
alkyl, alkyl group, alkyl radical
any of a series of univalent groups of the general formula CnH2n+1 derived from aliphatic hydrocarbons
-
allyl, allyl group, allyl radical
the univalent unsaturated organic radical C3H5; derived from propylene
-
amino, amino group
the radical -NH2
-
amyl
a hydrocarbon radical that occurs in many organic compounds
-
azido group, azido radical
the univalent group N3- derived from hydrazoic acid
-
azo group, azo radical
the bivalent group -N=N- united to two hydrocarbon groups
-
benzyl, benzyl group, benzyl radical
the univalent radical derived from toluene
-
benzoyl group, benzoyl radical
the univalent radical derived from benzoic acid
-
arsenic group, cacodyl, cacodyl group, cacodyl radical
the univalent group derived from arsine
-
carbonyl group
the bivalent radical CO
-
carboxyl, carboxyl group
the univalent radical -COOH; present in and characteristic of organic acids
-
chromophore
the chemical group that gives color to a molecule
-
cyanide group, cyanide radical, cyano group, cyano radical
the monovalent group -CN in a chemical compound
-
glyceryl
a trivalent radical derived from glycerol by removing the three hydroxyl radicals
-
hydrazo group, hydrazo radical
the bivalent group -HNNH- derived from hydrazine
-
hydroxyl, hydroxyl group, hydroxyl radical
the monovalent group -OH in such compounds as bases and some acids and alcohols
-
ketone group
a group having the characteristic properties of ketones
-
methylene, methylene group, methylene radical
the bivalent radical CH2 derived from methane
-
propyl, propyl group, propyl radical
the monovalent organic group C3H7- obtained from propane
-
butyl
a hydrocarbon radical (C4H9)
-
nitro group
the group -NO3
-
nitrite
the radical -NO2 or any compound containing it (such as a salt or ester of nitrous acid)
-
uranyl, uranyl group, uranyl radical
the bivalent radical UO2 which forms salts with acids
-
vinyl, vinyl group, vinyl radical
a univalent chemical radical derived from ethylene
-
acetyl, acetyl group, acetyl radical, ethanoyl group, ethanoyl radical
the organic group of acetic acid (CH3CO-)
-
ethyl, ethyl group, ethyl radical
the univalent hydrocarbon radical C2H5 derived from ethane by the removal of one hydrogen atom
-
glucosamine
an amino derivative of glucose that is a component of many polysaccharides
-
foryml
(chemistry) the negative univalent acyl radical CHO that occurs in aldehydes
-
methyl, methyl group, methyl radical
the univalent radical CH3- derived from methane
-
sodium nitrite
nitrite used to preserve and color food especially in meat and fish products; implicated in the formation of suspected carcinogens
-
type of:
-
building block, unit
a single undivided natural thing occurring in the composition of something else
-
(mathematics) a quantity expressed as the root of another quantity
-
arising from or going to the root or source“a radical flaw in the plan”
-
Synonyms:
-
basic
pertaining to or constituting a base or basis
-
basic
-
especially of leaves; located at the base of a plant or stem; especially arising directly from the root or rootstock or a root-like stem
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘radical'.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
Send us feedback
Word Family
Vocabulary lists containing radical
Algebra, List 3
Review these terms and concepts related to algebra that may be tested on the Quantitative Reasoning section of the GRE test.
Sojourner Truth: Ain't I a Woman?
This biography chronicles the life of Sojourner Truth, a woman who was born a slave, and who became the embodiment of the universal ideals of abolition and equality.
A Thousand Sisters
This nonfiction work tells the story of how thousands of young Russian women volunteered to be trained as pilots, navigators, and mechanics to defend their country during World War II.
EDITOR'S CHOICE
Look up radical for the last time
Close your vocabulary gaps with personalized learning that focuses on teaching the words you need to know.
