radicalize

verb

rad·​i·​cal·​ize ˈra-di-kə-ˌlīz How to pronounce radicalize (audio)
radicalized; radicalizing

transitive verb

: to make radical especially in politics
radicalization noun

Examples of radicalize in a Sentence

The war has radicalized an entire generation of young people.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
McVeigh was a Gulf War veteran who had become radicalized by anti-government beliefs and hoped to inspire a revolution against the federal government with the bombing. Lissete Lanuza Sáenz, StyleCaster, 18 Apr. 2025 Respectfully, how are Daniel and BB friends, like this guy is being radicalized before our very eyes? Proma Khosla, IndieWire, 9 Apr. 2025 Facebook’s algorithms, meanwhile, have been radicalizing Americans for at least a decade, and Instagram’s algorithmic feed is wrecking the mental health of an entire generation. Adam Clark Estes, Vox, 20 Mar. 2025 Twenty years later, however, nearly a third of American extremists were radicalized via social media feeds, and by 2016 that proportion had risen to about three quarters. Harvey Whitehouse, WIRED, 23 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for radicalize

Word History

First Known Use

1830, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of radicalize was in 1830

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Radicalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/radicalize. Accessed 1 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

radicalize

verb
rad·​i·​cal·​ize ˈrad-i-kə-ˌlīz How to pronounce radicalize (audio)
radicalized; radicalizing
: to make radical

More from Merriam-Webster on radicalize

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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