revolutionary

1 of 2

adjective

rev·​o·​lu·​tion·​ary ˌre-və-ˈlü-shə-ˌner-ē How to pronounce revolutionary (audio)
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
revolutionarily adverb
revolutionariness noun

revolutionary

2 of 2

noun

plural revolutionaries
1
: one engaged in a revolution
2
: an advocate or adherent of revolutionary doctrines

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
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Adjective
Celebrated annually on March 26, Air Max Day was established in 2014 to honor the debut of Nike’s revolutionary Air Max technology. Tiana Randall, Forbes.com, 29 Mar. 2025 Then, Netanyahu was attempting something revolutionary and unpopular and also had to worry about public pressure fracturing his coalition at the outset of his term. Paul Du Quenoy, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Mar. 2025
Noun
Born This Way Governed by eccentric Uranus — the planet of individuality, rebellion and unexpected breakthroughs — Aquarius is often considered the revolutionary of the zodiac. Valerie Mesa, People.com, 7 Mar. 2025 Showrunner Tony Gilroy highlighted the film’s scale and ordinary characters, from Imperial overlords to passionate revolutionaries, in a statement Monday. Kalia Richardson, Rolling Stone, 24 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for revolutionary

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

revolution + -ary entry 2

Noun

revolution + -ary entry 1, after French révolutionnaire

First Known Use

Adjective

1718, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

1850, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of revolutionary was in 1718

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Cite this Entry

“Revolutionary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/revolutionary. Accessed 31 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

revolutionary

adjective
rev·​o·​lu·​tion·​ary
ˌrev-ə-ˈlü-shə-ˌner-ē
1
a
: of, relating to, or involving a revolution
revolutionary war
b
: favoring revolution
c
: being or bringing about a big or important change
a revolutionary new product
2
capitalized : of or relating to the American Revolution
revolutionary noun

More from Merriam-Webster on revolutionary

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