as in radical
being very far from the center of public opinion
his revolutionist ideas won't get him elected
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in revolutionary
a person who favors rapid and sweeping changes especially in laws and methods of government
after a long series of weak leaders, the people were ready for a revolutionist who promised to bring sweeping change to the nation
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in rebel
a person who rises up against authority
historically, revolutionists have generally been young men willing to risk everything, even their lives, in the pursuit of their cause
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Recent Examples of revolutionist
Denni Hu, Footwear News, 17 Oct. 2025
In a country shackled and scarred by race, religion, gender, and class, much of that rationalized and reified by mainline American churches, the Disciples were genial revolutionists offering inclusion, education, and empowerment for those at the margins.
—Richard D. Mahoney, JSTOR Daily, 30 Apr. 2025
As the head of China’s Nationalist government, Chiang and his party were trying to establish control in a nation divided among revolutionists, nationalists, Indigenous warlords, and a developing communist army and government.
—Susan Tate Ankeny, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Apr. 2024
Many revolutionists see heavy tank casualties in Ukraine as the key indicator for the tank’s looming obsolescence in the face of newly lethal precision antitank weapons.
—Stephen Biddle, Foreign Affairs, 10 Aug. 2023
Leading that revolt is young revolutionist Luigi (Vincenzo Crea), while much older Silvestro (Luca Lionello) hopes to change things from within, by running for a public office usually held by the gentry.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 2 June 2023
On the second episode of Broken Bread this season, Choi talks to farm-to-table revolutionist Alice Waters about the importance of slow food.
—Andy Wang, Robb Report, 19 Jan. 2022
From the early days of Silicon Valley’s Internet-era revolution, as engineers, designers, and financiers began to recognize the potential of their inventions, sanctimony was a distinct feature of the revolutionists.
—Rachel Aviv, The New Yorker, 21 Mar. 2018
Noun
The collection drew inspiration from two seemingly distant sources: a still-life painting of a shirt collar by Joe Brainard, the prolific 1960s New York writer and artist, and a short story by Yu Dafu, the early 20th-century Chinese author and revolutionist.
—Denni Hu, Footwear News, 17 Oct. 2025
In a country shackled and scarred by race, religion, gender, and class, much of that rationalized and reified by mainline American churches, the Disciples were genial revolutionists offering inclusion, education, and empowerment for those at the margins.
—Richard D. Mahoney, JSTOR Daily, 30 Apr. 2025
As the head of China’s Nationalist government, Chiang and his party were trying to establish control in a nation divided among revolutionists, nationalists, Indigenous warlords, and a developing communist army and government.
—Susan Tate Ankeny, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Apr. 2024
Many revolutionists see heavy tank casualties in Ukraine as the key indicator for the tank’s looming obsolescence in the face of newly lethal precision antitank weapons.
—Stephen Biddle, Foreign Affairs, 10 Aug. 2023
Leading that revolt is young revolutionist Luigi (Vincenzo Crea), while much older Silvestro (Luca Lionello) hopes to change things from within, by running for a public office usually held by the gentry.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 2 June 2023
On the second episode of Broken Bread this season, Choi talks to farm-to-table revolutionist Alice Waters about the importance of slow food.
—Andy Wang, Robb Report, 19 Jan. 2022
From the early days of Silicon Valley’s Internet-era revolution, as engineers, designers, and financiers began to recognize the potential of their inventions, sanctimony was a distinct feature of the revolutionists.
—Rachel Aviv, The New Yorker, 21 Mar. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for revolutionist
Adjective
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As a young woman, Stanton frequently visited her cousin Gerrit Smith, a militant abolitionist and an ally of John Brown, whose house in Peterboro, New York, was a hotbed for radical intellectuals.—
Moira Donegan,
New Yorker,
13 Mar. 2026
-
The first film from powerhouse distributor Neon to open SXSW, this tale of a team of shoplifters fighting against an unequal system will receive the maximum spotlight for its radical message ahead of opening May 22.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
On the left, Anderson trots out stock characters — the oversexed Black woman revolutionary, Leo’s cuckolded white stoner, doctrinaire newcomers — from a Bob Hope skit about hippies.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Mar. 2026
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The 25-year-old Indianapolis native plays Willa, the daughter of former revolutionaries DiCaprio and Taylor, who goes on the lam when unsavory characters from her parents’ past attempt to track her down.—
Heather Bushman,
IndyStar,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Winnie Cheung, United States, 2025 A motorcycle rebel spirals deeper into her erotic hallucinations in order to escape the grip of a sultry serpent woman.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
11 Mar. 2026
-
My mother was a freewheeling rebel who was far from being a caretaker.—
Via Scribner,
Literary Hub,
11 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Erin Lee Opponents, however, call the measure extreme and its language deceptive.—
Austen Erblat,
CBS News,
18 Mar. 2026
-
Scientists and researchers warn that climate change is shaping people’s daily life in increasingly extreme ways, from whiplash swings between very wet and very dry seasons to earlier springs, more frequent heat waves and shrinking snowpacks.—
Chaewon Chung,
Sacbee.com,
18 Mar. 2026
Noun
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That kind of chaos could easily spill over Iran’s borders, and not just by land; the Persian Gulf is narrow, and would not pose much of an obstacle to terrorists or insurgents who cross it in speedboats.—
Robert F. Worth,
The Atlantic,
6 Mar. 2026
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Paxton will counter that Texas runoffs often reward insurgents.—
Gromer Jeffers Jr,
Dallas Morning News,
4 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Revolutionist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/revolutionist. Accessed 20 Mar. 2026.
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