as in revolutionaries
a person who favors rapid and sweeping changes especially in laws and methods of government
extremists wanted to do away with everything, even though they had no thought-out plan for what to do afterwards
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Recent Examples of extremists
That was Sokolowski’s introduction to a network of sadistic online extremists.
—
Curt Devine, CNN Money, 10 Feb. 2026
More than 150 Christians were abducted from three churches in another part of Kaduna in January before being released this week while at least 160 people, mostly Muslims, were killed by Islamic extremists in Kwara state for refusing to be indoctrinated.
—Arkansas Online, 8 Feb. 2026
More than 150 Christians were abducted from three churches in another part of Kaduna in January before being released this week, while at least 160 people, mostly Muslims, were killed by Islamic extremists in Kwara state for refusing to be indoctrinated.
—Dyepkazah Shibayan, Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2026
All of this may sound hopelessly naive when extremists celebrate brutality.
—Emily Chamlee-Wright, Washington Post, 6 Feb. 2026
In an age when polarized politics have whipped extremists into a frenzy and disagreeing with someone’s views justifies physical assault among fringe elements, the assault on Omar is a new abysmal milestone of societal degradation.
—Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 29 Jan. 2026
The solution to voters being limited to a choice between two extremists is to change the primary system.
—Chicago Tribune, 26 Jan. 2026
Once more, police made desultory enquiries and soon lost interest, their investigative resources stretched thin by a recent string of bombings in London by Irish republican extremists.
—Literary Hub, 16 Jan. 2026
With extremists in power the nation’s leaders lose their ability to compromise and thus the entire nation fails.
—Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 12 Jan. 2026
Curt Devine, CNN Money, 10 Feb. 2026
More than 150 Christians were abducted from three churches in another part of Kaduna in January before being released this week while at least 160 people, mostly Muslims, were killed by Islamic extremists in Kwara state for refusing to be indoctrinated.
—Arkansas Online, 8 Feb. 2026
More than 150 Christians were abducted from three churches in another part of Kaduna in January before being released this week, while at least 160 people, mostly Muslims, were killed by Islamic extremists in Kwara state for refusing to be indoctrinated.
—Dyepkazah Shibayan, Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2026
All of this may sound hopelessly naive when extremists celebrate brutality.
—Emily Chamlee-Wright, Washington Post, 6 Feb. 2026
In an age when polarized politics have whipped extremists into a frenzy and disagreeing with someone’s views justifies physical assault among fringe elements, the assault on Omar is a new abysmal milestone of societal degradation.
—Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 29 Jan. 2026
The solution to voters being limited to a choice between two extremists is to change the primary system.
—Chicago Tribune, 26 Jan. 2026
Once more, police made desultory enquiries and soon lost interest, their investigative resources stretched thin by a recent string of bombings in London by Irish republican extremists.
—Literary Hub, 16 Jan. 2026
With extremists in power the nation’s leaders lose their ability to compromise and thus the entire nation fails.
—Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 12 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for extremists
Noun
-
With that mental reframing, the American (and then French and other) revolutionaries changed not just their own country, but the world.—
Andreas Kluth,
Mercury News,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Rahman is positioning himself as a bridge between a political aristocracy that dates back to Bangladesh’s liberation struggle and the aspirations of its young revolutionaries.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Extremists.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/extremists. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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