rev·o·lu·tion·ary
ˌre-və-ˈlü-shə-ˌner-ē 
1
a
: of, relating to, or constituting a revolution
revolutionary war
b
: tending to or promoting revolution
c
: constituting or bringing about a major or fundamental change
a revolutionary new product
2
capitalized
: of or relating to the American Revolution or to the period in which it occurred
plural revolutionaries
1
: one engaged in a revolution
2
: an advocate or adherent of revolutionary doctrines
Synonyms
Examples of revolutionary in a Sentence
Adjective
a candidate with a lot of crazy, revolutionary ideas that no one seems to be going for
revolutionary forces that were soundly defeated before reaching the capital
Noun
after the collapse of the Russian monarchy, the moderate socialists briefly governed until being overthrown by the Bolshevik revolutionaries
at first the government was not worried about this small band of unarmed revolutionaries
Recent Examples on the Web
David Spiegelhalter, WIRED, 1 Dec. 2024
There’s a point near the start of Che Guevara’s classic travelogue The Motorcycle Diaries when the young Marxist revolutionary crosses from his native Argentina into the unknown wilderness of Chilean Patagonia.
—Mark Johanson, Robb Report, 30 Nov. 2024
Thomas Meaney, The New Yorker, 25 Nov. 2024
Some of his popularity stems from his revered father, Chokwe Lumumba, a civil rights activist, who was known on a national stage for calling for reparations, representing Black revolutionaries and successfully defending Tupac Shakur against assault charges.
—Bracey Harris, NBC News, 19 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for revolutionary 
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Adjective
In 1961, the CIA was planning the Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba to topple Fidel Castro’s revolutionary government, but the Joint Chiefs of Staff considered the chance of success to be just 30 percent—that is, a 70 percent chance of failure.
—David Spiegelhalter, WIRED, 1 Dec. 2024
There’s a point near the start of Che Guevara’s classic travelogue The Motorcycle Diaries when the young Marxist revolutionary crosses from his native Argentina into the unknown wilderness of Chilean Patagonia.
—Mark Johanson, Robb Report, 30 Nov. 2024
Noun
Adorno and Benjamin were, however, far from political revolutionaries.
—Thomas Meaney, The New Yorker, 25 Nov. 2024
Some of his popularity stems from his revered father, Chokwe Lumumba, a civil rights activist, who was known on a national stage for calling for reparations, representing Black revolutionaries and successfully defending Tupac Shakur against assault charges.
—Bracey Harris, NBC News, 19 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for revolutionary
Dictionary Entries Near revolutionary
Cite this Entry
“Revolutionary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/revolutionary. Accessed 17 Dec. 2024.
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